DANGEROUS RIVALS
by Geo
Summary: Sort of like an alternate reality. Both Sakura and Syaoran are secret agents from different agencies with missions to kill the other. But what happens when the two actually meet and do the unspeakable: fall in love? The two are caught up in a world of
1. missions

Geo

Geo: Bonjour! Oh dear, I'm lapsing into French...dear Lord...not that I don't like French...I'm not good at it, that's all.

So, what's up with everyone? Okay, this fic is sort of like an alternate reality. It doesn't go along the lines of the whole magic cardcapturing thing. I just use the characters and their personalities. Oh, Brooklyn.

Brooklyn: Hello! Watching _The Matrix!_ Go away!

Geo: *sigh* Whatever...so, I have a lazy muse, that doesn't matter...much..

Anyways, I don't own CCS and stuff like that...neither do I own Tomorrow Never Dies (the James Bond flick) nor do I own the song.

There! On with the fic!

**DANGEROUS RIVALS**

_**It's so deadly, my dear,**_

_**The power of having you near...**_

**chapter one**

**missions**

"So, Ms. Kinomoto. Do you know your assignment?"

Sakura Kinomoto sighed, exasperated. "I've been in the agency for long enough to know the rules and to find out about the missions as soon as I get them."

Her boss smiled. "Of course, Ms. Kinomoto. However, just for habit's sake..."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Fine. Find Syaoran Li. Get close to him. Find out their agency's plans from him. Exterminate him."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well, Mr. Li?"

Syaoran grinned his usual half grin, mischievous yet cold. "I've located her. She probably thinks she's going to take me by surprise," He chuckled. "If she thinks that, she's as good as dead."

The man on the screen smiled. "You're the best, Syaoran, the very best. But, remember. Some of our best soldiers get caught into her trap. You must not get caught in her trap."

Syaoran chuckled again. "I wouldn't worry about that. As beautiful as they all claim her to be, no one can get to me."

The man signed. "Let's hope you're right, Syaoran. Just make sure you carry out the mission."

"Got you, boss. Find Sakura Kinomoto. And destroy her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Listen, Tomoyo, I just need to know where he'll be at what time."

"How would you expect me to know, Sakura?"

Sakura sighed. "You know everything. I swear, you have cameras everywhere on this frickin' planet. If this wasn't work, I would think you were disgusting."

"Sakura! I don't hide cameras in the washroom, thank you very much..."

Sakura laughed. "Okay, okay Tomoyo! Just do me this favor. Where will he be tonight?"

"That, I don't know. Our Syaoran friend has a good trick at hiding himself. Even I can't log onto him."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. I'll have to do some scouting around."

She hung up her cell and walked around the park. It was peaceful outside. 

At the peacefulness, she sighed a sad sigh. She really didn't like this underground war, this fight between one agency and another. The two agencies should bond together. There was nothing wrong with fighting together to stop a common evil.

Sakura smiled at a passing child. She would find this Syaoran Li. And she would get rid of him. Then perhaps she could just get on with her life. And have a normal life.

She sighed and walked over to a well-known mansion. The mansion of a Tomoyo Daidoju. 

Sakura's black haired friend was waiting for her.

"I heard about your mission," she said cheerfully as Sakura took a seat. "So you're going against the great Syaoran Li, huh?"

Sakura looked up. "Huh?"

Tomoyo laughed and pulled up a file on her laptop. "Syaoran Li. Handsome, same age as us. Deadly, able to get information out of the best **female** agents there are. He's got some sort of magical charm about him."

Sakura rolled her eyes, disgusted. "Oh, great charm. Takes them to a room..."

"And surprisingly, he never does that. The information is always out before it gets close to that stage." Tomoyo smiled. "And you, Sakura Kinomoto, the best agent there is, known world wide, is going against him."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, it takes a lot more to break me then a smile and good looks."

Tomoyo laughed. "I'm not doubting you, Sakura. You're the best of the best. Anyways, I've heard from a few sources that he will be down at that new club tonight. I suppose you'd like to meet him there tonight?"

Sakura nodded and sighed, looking sad again. "I'm tired of this whole secret agent crap, Tomoyo. I mean, I've had enough of this going around the planet killing one agent and saving another. It's enough to just make me want to take the white pill that they give us, just in case."

Tomoyo looked at her friend sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Sakura. But I don't think it's going to be that easy."

Sakura nodded. "You're right. But, it's always nice to wish." She smiled wearily. "So, what time's the party?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Syaoran smiled at Eriol, who had just walked up to the booth. "So, did you make sure the information got through?"

Eriol smiled. "Of course. Through those girls, who are gossipy by nature, the news will be at Tomoyo's and with Sakura faster than you can snap your fingers."

Syaoran smiled. "Good work. I'm anxious to meet this Sakura."

Eriol laughed. "Who wouldn't be. Beautiful, sexy...you lucky dog, you get to pry the information out of her. It will probably be harder than usual. You'll probably have to go through steps that you might not usually have to go through."

Syaoran stopped smiling and shook his head. "Listen, Eriol, you know I don't ever want to do that. There's something...somewhat dirty about it. It's just...disgusting to use someone's feelings like that to get information." He banged his fist on the table. "No information is worth doing that someone as innocent as her."

Eriol laughed in amazement. "You think she hasn't done that? Man, why do you think she's the top?"

"Because, Eriol, I just know. I did some research on her. She doesn't seem like the type who would do that sort of thing."

Eriol shrugged. "Whatever, man. It's your mission, not mine. Just remember. Me and Yamazaki will be around for back-up." He chuckled. "As if you ever need back-up."

Syaoran nodded. "I just want to get this mission over with. It'll be somewhat sad to kill such a worthy opponent." 

Eriol grinned. "But isn't that what we live for? Carrying out missions, even if it mean the life of another. For the common good?" 

"I sometimes wish it weren't like that, Eriol. Sometimes I truly wish it weren't like that. But, it's our duty. Carry out the missions." 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura checked herself in the full-length mirror. Jet black leather pants, a black tank top (A/n Just sort of think of Trinity from _The Matrix_) and black boots. All tailored by the famous Tomoyo. 

_'This better catch Syaoran's eye. I_ _don't want to wear something this incredibly uncomfortable for absolutely nothing._' 

She grabbed a black coat and raced to her waiting vehicle. Her wrist watch held the microphone that would enable Tomoyo to hear and communicate. And the mike she was to put on Syaoran was in her pocket. Yes, he should be killed by tomorrow night, if everything went to plan. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Syaoran walked into the club, the loud music blaring in his ears. He saw a glimpse of Eriol somewhere nearby. Although he didn't really like working in a team, he had to. Supposedly this Sakura character was really tricky. She could blow up the whole damned building and she wouldn't care. 

He inwardly groaned. This would be a hard one to break. But he would never resort to the last step. Never. Even if she was his rival, even if he was to kill her, he had respect for her as a human and as an opponent. Even if he really didn't have any respect for himself. Killing innocent people. 

He shook his head. He wasn't going to let his feelings interfere. If everything went according to plan, she would be dead by tomorrow night. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Geo: _Voila!_ Finished the first chapter! Sorry it's so extremely SHORT! I know, I know...really really short...whatever. I had to leave stuff for the next chapter, wouldn't you agree? 

Whoa, coincidence! Whoa! Whoa! Sorry, I'm not to good at writing suspenseful thrillers or anything. It's just fun. 

Even though it really doesn't sound like their characters right now, well, we'll see. It has to be the personalities, so don't worry. Bwahahahaha! Everything is going according to plan! 

Sorry if I'm obsessing over _The Matrix_. It's just such a kick ass movie! Bwahahaha! See you all next chapter! 


	2. meeting

Geo

Geo: I'm back! Okay, I'd like to make a couple of thank you's....

To Cherry. She's one of my best friends and is always there to be excited about new fics with me. So thanks so much!

To Inkdot. Even though she's not really into anime, she's still awesome and in love with Gambit *drool* and you should go read her fics. She's on my favourite's list.

Also, to all the people who still read my fics, even after my first one, such as Obiwankatie (who has one of the best names, might I add) and everyone who read my fics and have faith that I can actually make a good CCS S+S fic!

On to the disclaimer: I don't own CCS, nor Tomorrow Never Dies. There...

**chapter two**

**meeting**

Sakura stepped out of her car and entered the club where she knew Syaoran was going to be. She spotted him immediately. Dark, handsome and tall.

_Darling, I'm killed,_

_I'm in a puddle on the floor,_

_Waiting for you to return_

_Oh, what a thrill,_

_Fascinations galore_

_How you tease_

_How you leave me to burn_

She could feel the people stare, but the only one she concentrated on was him. He truly was handsome, she would give him that. Black pants, black leather jacket, black cotton shirt underneath. (A/n Once again, think of Neo during the end minus the long coat.)

'_Keep your focus, Kinomoto. Keep your focus. The object is to kill him, not to like him.'_

_It's so deadly, my dear_

_The power of having you near_

Syaoran could almost sense that she had entered the room. He turned his head to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Not only because of her, well, **revealing** outfit. Her eyes. They were penetrating but not one of a secret agent, who was alone in the world. Nor were they trying to be seductive, like many of the other female secret agents. Her eyes almost radiated a sense of wanting to get this all over and done with.

_Until that day_

_Until the world blows away_

_Until you say there'll be no more goodbyes_

_I see it in your eyes_

_Tomorrow never dies_

He shook his head. He wouldn't let her get to him. He had to be strong. He had to keep focus. He glanced back up at her, coming towards him.

_'This is going to be harder than I thought...'_

_Darling, you've won,_

_It's no fun,_

_Martinis, girls and guns_

_It's murder on our love affair_

_But you bet your life, every night_

_While you're chasing the morning light_

_You're not the only spy out there._

Sakura could feel his calmness. _'Why aren't I having any effect on him? He's not like a lot of the others. This will be much much harder than I thought...'_

_It's so deadly, my,_

_The power of wanting you near_

_Until that day_

_Until the world blows away_

_Until you say there'll be no more goodbyes_

_I see it in your eyes_

_Tomorrow never dies_

Syaoran casually walked up to her. He could see the rest of the girl's eyes following his every move. Yet no effect still on Sakura.

_Until that day_

_Until the world blows away_

_Until you say there'll be no more goodbyes_

_I se it in your eyes_

_Until that day..._

By then, the attention was off the two. Sakura brushed past Syaoran to a table where two other teammates of hers were sitting. But she was able to put the small homing device on him during the process.

_'I've got you now, Syaoran._'

Syaoran knew what she had done, but left the device there to humor her.

_'I know what you did, Sakura. No sense in hiding it from me.'_

She sat down with Rikka and Nikki.

"Did you do it?" Asked Rikka.

"Of course I did."

"Uh oh," muttered Nikki. "He followed you over here."

"Then leave. He's doing this to aggravate me. He probably knows that we bugged him."

The two other girls stood up and a few seconds later, Syaoran joined her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked politely. She smiled sweetly.

"No thanks. I make it a habit not to drink."

He grinned his charming, attractive grin. "Smart woman. I usually don't drink either."

_'Keep it together, Kinomoto. He's trying to win you over. Act with him.'_

"My name's Sakura."

"Syaoran."

"Nice to meet you. Come to this club often?"

"Nah. I'm not to sociable."

Sakura laughed. "Could have fooled me. You just came over and sat down. Seems pretty sociable to me."

Syaoran shrugged. "There was something about you, Ms. Kinomoto."

Sakura made a quick glance over her shoulder, which was none too obvious to most. "What do you mean, Mr. Li?"

Syaoran kept his calm and put the tracking device back on the table. "Come on, Ms. Kinomoto, I was hoping a little more from you than a simple tracking device. You might as well placed a bomb in my pocket." He grinned again, then stood up. She watched him leave the club, hands in pocket and totally calm.

She made sure that the gun was still there in her boot. Then went after him.

"Syaoran! Get back over here! We have some things to settle!" She called back after him. He turned around.

"I don't see what you mean."

She pointed the gun at his head. "I just need to know the password to the main files on our agents. You tell me that, I kill you, I'm free to go and live my life. As long as you're alive, I'm stuck following you. So, let's make this simple."

Syaoran had a gun pointed at her as well. "I don't know if I like your terms, Sakura. How about this. I kill you. You're dead. I don't have to tell you anything."

Sakura stared at him. She was trained to remain calm under these circumstances.

"Syaoran, I can just kill you now..."

"How about a walk?" Syaoran suddenly said, placing his gun back in his holster. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"You're taking a pretty big chance, Li."

"Yeah, well, I know you need the information. I'm the only one you can get it from because no one else knows it." He shrugged. "I'm pretty safe."

She stuffed the gun into her belt, where it would be ready. "What about me?"

"You have information I need as well, Ms. Kinomoto. We'll manage a nice friendly walk together."

With a glance back at the club she turned.

"Where to?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Geo: Bwahahahaha! Another short chapter but...whatever. Yeah, so, you like it? Ooh...having fun. What will happen next??!?!?!


	3. normal conversations

Geo

Geo: Hey hey!! Disclaimer time!

I don't not own CCS nor do I own Nike...there!

Sorry, I really want to get on with my fic really badly. So here it is!

**chapter three**

**normal conversations**

Sakura and Syaoran walked quietly through the dark park until they came to a place where there seemed to be another pathway.

"This way," said Syaoran, taking her hand.

The pathway was secluded enough until they came to a large tree surrounded by bushes. Yes, thought Sakura. Very secluded.

"So," she began, an ironic smile on her face. "Here's where it all begins."

Syaoran looked at her, clearly puzzled. "Pardon?"

"You take me into your arms, and start to kiss me. Personally, I wish you would have more class and at least take me to a hotel where I could kick your ass for touching me there..."

"Whoa whoa, hold up." Syaoran said, holding up his hands. "What are you getting at?"

_'He clearly is confused,' _she thought, surprised.

"Why else would you bring me to a secluded part of the woods?" She asked cautiously.

"This is personally my favourite part of the park. Not many people know it's here. It's where I can come and think...like a normal person." 

"Oh," She said quietly.

"Anyways, Ms. Kinomoto, I make it a habit not to take advantage of women." He sat down against the tree stump. "I don't know. It's not really accomplishing anything."

"Lots of agents do their business that way." Sakura commented, sitting down next to him.

"Do you, Ms. Kinomoto?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not. I promised myself once when I first started that I would not stoop down that low. Oh, and please, call me Sakura."

The two talked about a couple of things until he suddenly said, "What are you after, Sakura?"

"Well..." Sakura started but stopped abruptly. She suddenly knew what he was doing. Trying to win her trust and throw it back at her. No, she wouldn't fall for that trick.

She jumped up. "No, you don't. You can't weasel out any information out of me, Syaoran. I'd rather die."

"Listen," he said. "I don't mean any harm. I just want to know, so I know why you're after me and intending on killing me."

"Why are you being so friendly?" She asked suspiciously. "I should've known."

"Can't I talk to you without you thinking that I'm going to take advantage of you or try and get the information out of you?" He asked furiously, then sighed. "Personally, I could care less about this stupid mission."

Sakura was surprised. She had never heard an agent think or talk like that except...

Except for herself.

"I understand how you feel." She said quietly. "I feel the exact same way. That was why I was so intent on killing you."

He chuckled. "Strange. It's normal day conversations for us to talk about killing. Personally, for one day, I would just want to leave all that behind and just...I don't know...do stuff without having to watch my back every single minute of every single day."

She stared at him and blushed when he looked down at her, his amber eyes meeting her emerald eyes.

_'Why is he having this effect on me?' _Sakura thought frantically.

_'Why do I feel so calm, so absolutely at peace while she's near me? She's supposed to be the enemy.._' Syaoran tucked that thought out of his mind.

"Syaoran, why do I trust you? All of a sudden, I trust you." She asked softly. "I've never trusted someone this much...not even Tomoyo. Aren't you supposed to be..."

"The enemy?" Syaoran finished. "I'm supposed to be. You're supposed to be. I don't know." He shook his head and looked back into Sakura's green eyes. They were filled with confusion but he could tell the faint glow of happiness. "I don't know why you feel that way, Sakura."

Sakura reached for his hand and squeezed it. "You and I have a lot in common. We both want to get out of this secret world of undercover agents. We both want to leave these lives and take on totally new ones. But, how?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I don't know, Sakura." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, what information did you get out of her?" Eriol asked Syaoran the next morning.

"Not much. We're going to meet again today..."

"What? You mean, almost like a date?" Eriol asked, surprised.

"Yeah. She fell for it." Syaoran grimaced. _'Yeah, right...fell for it. More like **I** fell for **her**.'_

"But, you still got nothing out of her...?"

Syaoran shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't get anything. Listen, don't worry, I'll have all the information I need by tonight."

Eriol shrugged and smiled. "Hey, you're the leader of this mission. I'm not going to step in."

"Yeah, see you later."

Syaoran hung up the phone and sat down on the couch in his apartment. He was going out with Sakura today, and nothing was going to stop him. Good God, she was beautiful...

He sat straight up. "No, that's not right." He leaned back again. "Too much training. Can't even lead a normal life and have a normal date. No, wait, that's not right, either. This isn't a normal date. We have to find a way to get our two agencies to merge. That's all. That's it. Fin. End of story."

He couldn't convince himself, though. He looked back at his watch and decided that he might as well take a walk. He was meeting Sakura at the ice cream parlor and he may as well be early. He remembered that his watch had a mike in it and security, just in case. He took it off and exchanged it for a non-bugged watch that he bought himself once. With that, he grabbed his keys and left his apartment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a simple pink t-shirt and a comfortable pair of shorts with some Nike sandals. She always liked to dress casually like that, since she was usually on the run. You would not believe just how incredibly hard it was to run in a pair of platforms.

She sighed. She couldn't believe she had agreed to meet Syaoran at the ice cream parlor.

_'This is just for the information, right? This can't be...that weird feeling...that sense of trust...no, it's not that. It can't be that...'_

She sighed and glanced at the clock and groaned. "No! I'm going to be late...ooh, why does this always happen to me?!"

She ran out of her apartment and stormed down the stairs. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Geo: So...how was that? Okay, I'm SORRY! That chapters are so frickin' SHORT! I'm SORRY! It's just that if I keep on going on I'm going to lapse into my next chapter and yeah...well, that's the scoop...sorry. 

So, what did you think? Ooh...what will happen next? Syaoran and Sakura have forbidden feelings for each other?! Oh NO! Bwahahahaha!


	4. a normal day

Geo

Geo: Bwahahaha! Welcome to Geo's house of DoOm!! (Don't you hate that writing? It can get annoying...I just did it for effect...)

Actually, it's not a house of hell...really, it's not! Stay and read on! So...Brooklyn...where did we leave off last time?

Brooklyn: *Reading off of Geo's last manuscript* Let's see...The beautiful agent Sakura Kinomoto has just met Syaoran Li, the dashing, handsome, mysterious, striking...

Geo: Brooklyn...Brooklyn...SHUT UP! I get it.

Brooklyn: Are you sure?

Geo: Yes! Gee-zus...just write the {censored} disclaimer...

Brooklyn: Ooh...getting touchy...

Geo: *Death Glare...*

Brooklyn: *gulp* Okay...CCS and 'Hanging By a Moment' by Livehouse doesn't belong to Ms. Insane-Claw-Your-Eyes-Out over there.

Geo: Good...

~*~*~*~*~*~

**chapter 4**

**a normal day**

Sakura looked around the ice cream parlor. 

"Where is he?" She muttered. "What the hell..."

"Are you looking for me?" Came a soft voice from behind her. She turned around and glanced at the handsome young man in a pair of baggy pants and a green t-shirt.

"Syaoran!" She said in surprise, then blushed at his warm smile. However, she was still faintly suspicious.

_'How will I ever know if that smile is for me and not the information?'_ She asked herself sadly.

He smiled again and glanced around. "Cute place, huh?" She shrugged.

"It's pretty nice.."

"Do you want some ice cream?" He asked politely. Sakura's eyes got big with excitement. The sole weakness of Sakura Kinomoto was ice cream.

"Ice cream? Of course I'd like ice cream!" She said and almost skipped over to the counter. Syaoran smiled and sighed.

"And I suppose I'm paying for it." Sakura laughed.

"Of course! Now, what do you suppose, strawberry or chocolate? Or how about both? Hm...." Sakura frowned in concentration that looked extremely cute, to Syaoran's eyes. He didn't even bother disagreeing with himself in that weird, insane way. He just went with it. He admitted the fact that he thought that she was extremely cute and beautiful and...everything. He laughed as she started to order.

"How can you eat all that? I thought cherry blossom's were supposed to be soft and fragile." Sakura narrowed her eyes a bit, then laughed.

"Yeah, right. Whatever. I could eat another one of these!"

_Desperate for changing_

_Starving for truth_

_I'm closer to where I started_

_Chasing after you_

"Argh, I couldn't eat another bite." Sakura groaned as she pushed away her half eaten double fudge parfait. Syaoran, who had already finished his chocolate sundae. He laughed at her as she stood up.

"Shut up, Syaoran. Next time...warn me that thing is that big."

_'What? Next time? Hm...that's a nice thought...'_ Syaoran thought, but just smiled as he followed her out the door.

_I'm falling even more in love with you_

_Letting go of all I've held onto_

_I'm standing here until you make me move_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

"Come on, Sakura, couldn't we do something else? That's on perhaps more wheels?" He glared as she fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. Syaoran had just finished falling on his blades for the second thousandth time.   
"I personally don't see what so funny."

Between laughter, Sakura said, "YOU! You can't..." She kept on giggly until she got it together again. "You can't stay UP!" With that, a whole new explosion of laughter started. Syaoran couldn't help smiling at her contagious laughter.

"I still don't see what's so funny..." He muttered, taking off the rented roller blades. They had decided to go over to the skate park after their trip to the ice cream parlor. Sakura was a natural on wheels but Syaoran was a different story. He really never was able to skate, on ice or wheels. 

"I don't see why you find it so difficult. It's just like ice." Sakura had said after his first fall. Soon, though, she was laughing at his 'antics'. After a while, she figured out that his falls were, in truth, totally real and he wasn't faking it. 

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Sakura asked, retrieving her purse from a locker. Syaoran was about to answer her when a couple of punks with their girlfriends walked over to them. 

"Hey, you loser! Your girlfriend can skate better than you!" The leader said, laughing. 

"Ignore them," Syaoran mumbled to Sakura, who was getting pretty ticked off. 

"Hey, loser did you hear me?" The guys continued laughing. 

"No, stay away from him you punks." Sakura said, speaking up and raising her fists in a fighting stance.

"Please, Sakura," Syaoran muttered, trying to drive her away. However, the guys simply laughed harder.

"So now your girlfriend has to fight FOR you. Man, what a wuss!" Syaoran sighed. He was hoping it really wouldn't get to this. He didn't want to engage into a fight. He didn't know what would happen and he didn't want to be caught by authorities. He had to be bailed by his boss once and he knew that this other arrest would not go well with the agency. But Sakura got him into this.

"Listen, punk." He started, grabbing the leader by his collar. "I don't care what you frickin' say."

"Yo, man, cool it. All we're asking you to do is regain your dignity, or else you won't be able to set foot in here without being laughed at." The guy said. Syaoran just rolled his eyes and glanced over at Sakura, who was silently begging him to 'regain his dignity'. Syaoran sighed.

"Fine. What did you have in mind. Without anything to do with skates." The leader-dude smiled.

"Easy. You can't roller blade, you'll have to skateboard." Syaoran scoffed. "Fine. I'll skateboard." Sakura laughed softly as she joined back with him as they went back to the skate park.

"I can't believe you're actually going to do this. Skateboarding is somewhat more difficult that roller blading." Sakura said worried about the young roller blade-deficient walking beside her. However, Syaoran simply smiled. 

"Don't worry Sakura. I've got it all under control." With that, he grabbed the skateboard offered to him and walked over to the half pipe. Sakura almost melted at his cool attitude and warm smile. No doubt about it: she had fallen-hard-for the male spy. 

_Forgetting all I'm lacking_

_Completely and complete_

_ I'll take your invitation_

_You take all of me_

"Okay, dude," the leader started. "All you have to do is...hm...how about a kickflip. I think you can handle that, huh?" A few of the members of the little group started to snicker but Syaoran just grinned, the grin that had made him so famous: cold and somewhat amused.

"A kickflip? Sure, why not." He smiled back at Sakura, who smiled back encouragingly.

_'God, he's hot! I hope he makes it...he has to! Who are you kidding, this is the guy who couldn't even stand on roller blades.'_ She thought desperately. However, Syaoran had been going up and down the half pipe, getting some air, and was able to do a kickflip.

"Yeah, Syaoran!" Sakura cried, but then remembered exactly who she was cheering for and where she was. Perhaps acting as cheerleader wouldn't go to well with Syaoran...

However, Syaoran smiled again, a more confident smile as he remembered all the tricks he learned from a friend. Sure, he couldn't roller blade, but he could damn well beat anyone, even the famed Tony Hawk, at skateboarding. With Sakura's cheer ringing in his ear, he prepared for one of his favourite moves.

"Yo dude, you stuck? You need us to help you?" Called the leader guy asked, laughing and obviously mocking him. Well, Syaoran would show him. All he needed was some more air.

"Whoa, did you see that?" One of the girls asked. "That was an Indy backflip? That's pretty hard..."

"Not that hard," said another guy. "I could do it any day." However, Sakura didn't even listen to their arguments. Syaoran was attempting another trick.

"What? What happened to the loser who couldn't roller blade? That was a handplant!"

"Look at that, kickflip McTwist!"

"He's better than Andrew over there!"

"Oh my gosh...that was a 1080! No one, NO ONE has done that..." The leader guy (he's Andrew)

"Someone just did," Sakura said smugly. "Syaoran just did." With that, Syaoran stopped and walked down over to Andrew. He simply grinned and then grabbed Sakura's hand and walked off. Sakura blushed at the warmth of his hand, the warmth and safety. He smiled over at her.

"What did you think?" He asked, amused by her amazed look.

"You were awesome, Syaoran! Those damned..."

"Don't sweat it, Sakura."

_Now...I'm falling even more in love with you_

_letting go of all I've held onto_

_I'm standing here until you make me move_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

Syaoran glanced down at the sweet-faced young woman sitting beside him at the movie theatres. He couldn't believe that all this was happening and, for some reason, he didn't want it to happen. Just when he found someone he liked-wait, change that to **love**- he knew it would all be over. He couldn't help being torn from one side of the scale to the other. One side was his friends, if that's what you could call them, at the agency. At the other side was his love for Sakura. He knew that he could never hurt her.

_'Damn the information!'_ He thought, suddenly making his decision. _'Damn everything! Everything can go to hell! I'm never going to hurt her...no, never. Damn it all...but I won't give her the information either.' _He sighed, which caught Sakura's attention away from the movie they were watching.

"What's the matter, Syaoran?" She asked quietly. He tried to smile, but it was obviously fake.

"No! Nothing's the matter!" He whispered, then turned back to the movie. However, Sakura could tell that he was still tense.

_'Damn it, when is he going to trust me like I trust him? Will he ever? Damn it all, why do I have to be a fool? A stupid, confident fool? Argh...no matter. I'll never give him the information. But I'll never ask it from him, either.'_ She thought. With that, she turned back to the movie, unconsciously taking Syaoran's hand in hers and doing a very good job of making him blush madly.

_'Thank goodness it's dark.'_ He thought nervously, hoping she didn't see the red on his cheeks.

_I'm living for the only think I nkow_

_I'm running and not quite sure where to go_

_I don't know what I'm diving into_

_Just hanging by a moment here with you_

"So, do you want to get some dinner?" He asked her after the movie, smiling down at her. She smiled.

"Sure, I'm starved!" She said enthusiastically which made Syaoran laugh.

"Okay, you bottomless pit. How about I meet you at your apartment after about an hour and a half. Will that be enough time to let you get ready?" He asked.

"Um, my apartment?" She asked nervously. He rolled his eyes, remembering.

"Yeah, you're right."

_'Damn this secret agent life!' _They both thought.

"How about I just meet you at...the park?" She asked tentatively. He smiled. "Sure, whatever you want. I'll see you at 7:30 at the entrance?" She nodded. He let go of her hand and walked off. Sakura shook her head.

_'Men. An hour and a half? Jeez...well, I wonder where he's taking me for dinner. Damn the whole fact that he can't come up to my apartment. I mean...I trust him, right? I mean...'_ Sakura sighed out loud. She couldn't believe this. A whole day with Syaoran...a totally normal day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geo: Hey hey! Sorry this took so long to get out in the world wide web...heh heh heh...

Brooklyn: *whispering* She was writing other stories...she wasn't paying attention to your pleas to get this chapter out...

Geo: Shut up, Brooklyn! *mumbling* Sorry if all these ideas pop into my head at 1:00 in the morning. Sorry! *turns back to the readers* Well...sorry anyways for this not being out sooner...okay, some notes:

1.) I'm sorry, but there isn't going to be anything...explicit...or James Bond-ish. By that, I mean by the fact that there won't be the regular love-making that you usually see in spy movies. Sorry, but...that's the way it is...*ahem*

2.) Okay, next subject. The song part will be finished later in the next chapter.

3.) Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Thank you SOOO much! *Geo starts to giggle happily*

Brooklyn: Ooh...boy...

Geo: Okay...so...I gotta go. Adios!


	5. forbidden love

Geo

Geo: Hey-hey! I'm back with some more CCS goodness! Bwahahaahahahahahahaha!

Brooklyn: Here we go again...sorry folks, right now Geo is eating strawberry yogurt and very very very very sugary iced tea.

Geo: Get it straight, Brooklyn! It's raspberry. R A S P B E R R Y yogurt! Duh!

Brooklyn: See what I mean?

Geo: Never mind. Okay Brooklyn, on to the disclaimer! Yeah!

Brooklyn: *sarcastically* Yipee...Anyways, Geo does no, repeat, DOES NOT, own the CCS characters. If you sue her, she will laugh in your face because you're WRONG! HA!

Geo: *blink* Okie dokie...that was weird...okay now, on to the fic!

**chapter 5**

**forbidden love**

Sakura hurried to the park entrance. Syaoran had told her 7:30. Of course, he was a male. What did he have to do to get ready? She should've told him 2 hours at least!

_'No matter...I'm here and ready.'_ She thought, grinning when she saw the black Camaro parked at the entrance with a young man standing beside it.

Syaoran looked up to see Sakura running toward him. Even in the dimming light, he could tell that she was extremely beautiful in the blue dress that clung to her body in a very attractive way. She was smiling and her emerald green eyes shone with delight and amusement.

"Well well, ready and on time." He said as he opened the passenger door for her. She laughed.

"Hardly. I only just made." He shrugged as he turned on the ignition and drove out.

"I wouldn't have known. You look as though you spent the whole day getting yourself dressed up." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You know, you have too much charm for your own good, Mr. Li."

"I don't know, Ms. Kinomoto. You should meet Eriol."

"Who?" She inquired.

_'Uh oh. Um...' _He thought. He really didn't want to give away any of his teammates. However, he had a feeling she already knew.

"Uh, a friend. Anyways, he's got a lot of charm, it's sickening." Sakura laughed.

_'She has a beautiful laugh.'_ Syaoran thought to himself, grinning a bit.

_There's nothing left to lose_

_Nothing left to find_

_There is nothing in the world that can change my mind_

_There is nothing else_

_There is nothing else..._

Heads turned in the restaurant as the handsome young man led the green eyed beauty to their seat. Single or not, women swooned at the chocolate haired man and men drooled at the petite young woman. However, Syaoran had eyes only for Sakura. He had been thinking that perhaps they could discuss their predicament there at the restaurant. He hoped that she would have feelings for him, too. That would make it easier to think of a plan to forget about the information.

"And what may I get you to drink?" The waiter asked politely. 

Syaoran glanced at the menu for a few seconds then said, "I think La Playa Merlot would be best. What do you think, Sakura?" Sakura smiled. She herself just so happened to be a wine expert herself.

"Personally, I prefer the Bin 555 Shiraz, but..." Syaoran smiled, getting ready for a debate. As if he sensed this, the waiter cleared his throat.

"May I suggest the Black Opal Merlot. I think it will satisfy both of your tastes." Syaoran looked at Sakura, who smiled pleasantly, then back to the waiter.

"That sounds fine, thank you." With a smile and a slight sigh of relief, the waiter left, leaving Syaoran and Sakura to chat idly.

"This is a nice place, Syaoran. I can't believe that you got a reservation in such a short time." Syaoran grinned mischievously.

"I have my ways." Sakura laughed.

"I should have known."

~*~*~*~

Tomoyo was sleeping in front of numerous computer screens (A/n Last time I refer to The Matrix: you know in the beginning when Neo is sleeping in front of his computer?) when she woke up to get a drink. Something caught her eye.

"Good God...Sakura is on a date with Syaoran. Where has she been all day?" Her mind went through the possibilities until she couldn't stand it. "That's it. I have to go make sure she's okay. Why didn't she contact me before taking such a risk? She could get....argh, sometimes that girl just frustrates me!" Tomoyo grabbed her coat and ran out of her house.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Damn it, Yamazaki! Did you find him?" Eriol yelled into his cell phone at the other member on his team.

"Damn straight I found him! He's on a date with Ms. Kinomoto herself." Eriol was shocked.

"What? What do you mean, with Ms. Kinomoto?!" Yamazaki laughed.

"Our man Syaoran is over there with her, probably getting the information out of her right now. Why are you so pissed off, man?"

"Because he should have **told** us before he did anything as STUPID as risking himself with that...that...that woman. You know what she's done to millions of us. She's...she's evil. He can very well get caught into trap." Yamazaki shook his head.

"Syaoran's **way** too smart for that." Yamazaki said confidently. Eriol sighed, suddenly very tired.

"Look, just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, okay?" Yamazaki didn't say anything, just hung up. 

At that moment, however, unknown to both Tomoyo, Yamazaki or Eriol was that Syaoran and Sakura had both fallen into the other's trap.

~*~*~*~*~

"Syaoran, that was so stupid!" Sakura laughed as she sipped some more of her merlot. Syaoran smiled, dashing in the dim light of the restaurant.

"I wouldn't say stupid...just not...totally...smart..." Syaoran stumbled for the right words.

The two were waiting for their dinner and were talking about past missions and experiences and were having a splendid time in each other's company. Both felt complete, both felt whole. Both felt as though they could stay in this Eutopia forever.

_Desperate for changing_

_Starving for truth_

_Closer where I started_

_Chasing after you_

"What is your favourite country?" Sakura asked sweetly. Syaoran smiled.

"I'd have to say Italy." He replied.

"Why?" Sakura asked, curious.

"Well, because...the food is marvelous!" Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"I should've known. The only way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" Syaoran frowned.

"Hey, I resent that!" However, he silently added, _'I would say a pretty laugh and stunning jade eyes also do the trick.'_

"Well, personally, my favourite country is Australia. It's a beautiful place, with all those cute kangaroos and koalas." She giggled at Syaoran's exasperated look. "What? They are cute!" She sipped some more wine before she continued. "Also, it's pretty easy to spell." Syaoran mocked a look of surprise.

"What? The great Ms. Kinomoto hates to spell?" He pretended to speak into his watch. "I have found the two weaknesses of the lovely Ms. Kinomoto: ice cream and spelling." Sakura laughed, but blushed.

"Lovely?" Syaoran blushed as well, but stared into his wine and just cleared his throat while she continued on with her conversation.

"Well, spelling is okay...but I mean crazy places like Haql or Gyzylarbat or..." She made a face. "Czechoslovakia. And I always have to remember it, considering that's the password..."

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with fear and shock, just realizing what she had said. She had given Syaoran, from another agency, the password that they needed. She looked at Syaoran, whose amber eyes looked at her with shock.

Without a word, Sakura got up and ran out of the restaurant. Syaoran got up and swore under his breath.

"Sakura. Sakura!" He called after her. Without hesitation, he followed her out the restaurant.

~*~*~*~*~

"Unusual thing just happened to Syaoran and Sakura." Yamazaki reported to Eriol via cell phone.

"What? What happened?" Eriol asked, anxiously.

"Sakura ran out, Syaoran ran after her." Eriol sighed.

"Follow them, but don't let yourself be seen, alright? Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course..."

~*~*~*~*~

Tomoyo just missed the commotion with Syaoran and Sakura. She did, however, recognize and follow Yamazaki.

_'I have a feeling he knows where the two went. I'll stay low for a while and make sure they don't hurt Sakura.'_

~*~*~*~*~

Sakura could hear Syaoran's footsteps close to hers. But she couldn't let him get her. She wouldn't.

She was so stupid! She had been such at ease with the dark haired young man that she forgot that she wasn't the only spy out there.

Quickly and subtly, she opened a small box that she had taken out of her bag when she was still at the restaurant. The box contained that little white pill that every single spy is given when they first join an agency. Cyanide. What kept her from talking.

_'A little late for that, genius.' _She thought angrily. _'You already gave him the password. This is just...this is just to end it all. And NOT to give him the satisfaction of killing me. Why is he still following me?'_

She suddenly realized her surroundings. She was...she was at the secluded part in the park where she and Syaoran had first started to talk and get to know each other. That was where she started to feel that unwavering trust for her enemy. That was where she had first started to fall in love with him. 

Sakura felt bitter tears run down her cheeks as she slumped up against the tree trunk where she sat with Syaoran only yesterday. She had wanted to escape the secrecy of this life-style, the never ending wars unknown to law-abiding citizens. She did with all her heart. But not like this. Not in this way. Not without telling Syaoran... 

"Sakura!" Came that voice that was so reassuring to Sakura, even at this time. 

"Go away, Syaoran. Go away." She said, hiding her face from him, hiding the tears that just seemed to fall for absolutely no reason. "You got want you wanted. The password. Go tell them to your teammates. You've won." She heard him sigh and, looking up, saw him run his hair in frustration. 

"Listen, Sakura. I don't frickin' care what the hell the password is. So you can put away that Cyanide pill that you have in your hand." Sakura looked up to him, her eyes questioning. He smiled and it wasn't one of his famous mischievous grins. She had a feeling that the kind of smile was an intimate one. It certainly was caring enough. 

He tenderly wiped away her tears, carefully and cautiously, afraid she may turn away. But she never did, just stayed in that position. 

_'God, I'd rather be dead than any harm come to her.'_ He thought as he saw the white pill fall from her hands. 

"You really mean that?" She asked tentatively, bringing him from his thoughts. 

"Of course I mean it. Why wouldn't I?" Sakura smiled bitterly. 

"I was trained not to trust anyone." 

"But you trust me," Syaoran asked hesitantly. Sakura nodded and sighed contently. 

"Yeah...somehow, I do. I must be a fool." She frowned. "But you do have the password." Syaoran smiled mischievously. 

"What password?" Sakura smiled. 

"I shouldn't be trusting you, Syaoran." She frowned. "Why are you doing this? Don't you understand the risk?" Syaoran sighed as he looked away. 

"It's basically something that is forbidden, especially between us." He looked back at her. "However, I decided this yesterday. I'm guilty of falling into your trap, Ms. Kinomoto. But, that's the thing...see..." He sighed. 

_'How do I tell her this...?' _He thought frantically. 

"Syaoran?" She asked warily, almost scared of what might be said. He looked her compassionately and then smiled. He knew he had to tell her. He didn't want to see her so upset, so nervous. 

"Sakura, you may not believe this. It's true that we only truly met face-to-face yesterday. I understand if you don't believe this. I wouldn't. But...but, Sakura, I love you." 

_I'm falling even more in love with you_

_Letting go of all I've held onto_

_I'm standing here until you make me move_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

"You...you love me?" Asked Sakura, utterly confused. Syaoran turned away blushing. 

"I, huh...I totally understand why you would feel upset or anything...I mean..." He was silenced when Sakura's arms were around his neck in a tight hug. Tears ran down Sakura's cheek, just out of happiness this time. 

"I totally understand, Syaoran. I understand. It's kind of weird...I just knew...I can't explain it..." 

"Then don't," he whispered softly and kissed her, softly. Sakura, surprised by this whole predicament, yet pleased, returned the kiss. 

In need of air, they ended the kiss, but stayed in each other's arms, feeling finally safe. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Woo-hoo!" Yamazaki cheered silently. "He's got her in his grip. Now all he has to do is get the information. Then, I come in and good old Syaoran doesn't have to get his hands dirty. And we won't have to worry about that Ms. Kinomoto getting to us ever again!" He added brightly, happy that her menace would be gone. 

"Yo, Eriol," He said, dialing up Eriol's cell number. "Get over here now!" 

"He's got her?" Eriol asked. 

"You better believe it!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Yes...she's got him..." Tomoyo said to herself, grabbing her gun. This was the moment of truth. The world would soon be rid of Syaoran Li for good." 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura sighed contently and looked at the stars up in the clear sky. It was beautiful, all the tiny stars. 

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked quietly. It was the first thing either of them said for quite a while. 

"Hm?" She replied, meeting his gaze. 

"How are we going to do this?" She frowned, slightly confused. 

"What do you mean?" He laughed at her cluelessness. 

"I mean our forbidden love. If you haven't noticed, we are from enemy agencies. What are we going to do?" Sakura sighed but was interrupted before she could say anything. 

"I don't know what you are going to do, but your love is forbidden, and nonexistent." Said a harsh female voice. "And now, you are going to be also nonexistent, Syaoran Li." 

Sakura looked up to see Tomoyo standing there, her gun ready and aimed at Syaoran. 

"Sakura, get out of the way." Tomoyo said, not wavering. 

"Please, Tomoyo...please, just a second. You don't understand..." 

"Hold it right there." Came another male voice. Syaoran sighed, frustrated and angry. This wasn't how he wanted it to go. 

"Yamazaki, put your gun down." Syaoran said, attempting to stand up. Sakura held onto his hand, shaking her head no. 

_'He'll get killed if he stands up. He'd be a perfect target.'_ She thought desperately. He gave her hand a little squeeze before standing up fully. 

"No way, man. I'm going to get her now." Sakura looked up at Syaoran and was thankful that the glare that he gave Yamazaki was directed at him and not at her. 

"Yamazaki. As the ranking officer I am telling you to put down the gun." Yamazaki was clearly shocked. 

"B-but...dude! What do you..." 

"Put the gun down." Syaoran growled again. 

_'He has tremendous respect for Syaoran,_' Sakura thought as Yamazaki threw down the gun. _'He listens to him...even though I can tell that he wants me killed._' 

"Well, it may be that you listen to him, Yamazaki. However...for me...it's a different story." Sakura widened her eyes. 

"NO!" She cried and leapt to stand beside Syaoran. 

"Sakura, get away from him." Tomoyo said tensely. 

"No, Tomoyo. Please, listen to me. I trust him. I **love** him. Please, don't kill him." Sakura pleaded. 

_I'm living for the only thing I know_

_I'm running and not quite sure where to go_

_I don't know what I'm diving into'_

_Just hanging by a moment here with you_

"I thought you were smarter than that, Sakura. You couldn't actually truly love him. Anyways, if you do...for heaven's sakes, do you actually think he loves you?" Tomoyo asked. 

"Listen to me. Both of you don't know anything else than this life. I'm telling you, I-we-found something different, something else. I truly wish that you could find it, both of you. Now, Ms. Daijoudi, I understand your concern, but I'll tell you know. I fell in love with Sakura. And I'm not going to let anyone take that away from me." Syaoran said, winding an arm around Sakura's waist. 

"Please, Tomoyo, trust me." Sakura pleaded. Tomoyo glanced warily at Yamazaki. 

"What about him?" 

"I'll call a cease-fire between our two teams." Said Syaoran sternly. "Therefore, no one will fire. At least, I won't." He glanced at Yamazaki, who sighed then nodded. 

"Same with me. And I'm pretty sure Eriol would do the same." Tomoyo sighed. 

"Fine. I call the cease-fire as well." 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"So, how do you plan to keep this forbidden love?" Asked Tomoyo while they all sat around Sakura's table, drinking coffee. 

"I don't know. But I know we'll need all of your help." Sakura said. Tomoyo sighed. 

"You're taking a humongous risk, guys." Sakura shrugged. 

"It doesn't matter. We need a plan. And we need it now." 

_Just hanging by a moment_

_Hanging by a moment..._

_Hanging by a moment..._

_Hanging by a moment here with you..._

Unknown to everyone, terrorists were ready to take on one of their biggest plans yet. And, somehow, it would include the young heroine and hero. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Geo: Okay...bad ending...very bad ending...whatever...I'm getting tired...it's 11:52 PM... 

Brooklyn: *reading ingredients on the yogurt container* EWW! GROSS! Look! Contains life-forms? 

Geo: Of course...that's what makes the yogurt healthy and all...it's a special bacteria.... 

Brooklyn: I'm going to be sick... 

Geo: *shrugs* Whatever...well...see everyone next chapter! 


	6. becoming the enemy

Geo

Geo: Hey people! So...show of hands...how many people thought that was the END of the story? Huh? Huh? Oh, come on, don't be shy...

Well, you know what?! It WASN'T! That's right folks! IT'S NOT THE END! THERE'S STILL A LOT LEFT TO GO!

Brooklyn: *sigh* WHY DON'T YOU JUST END IT!?

Geo: Hey, shut up! Anyways, yes. On to the disclaimer, Brooklyn!

Brooklyn: Look, Geo...I'm cranky. I'm sunburned...I'm taking the day off. *Brooklyn leaves computer room*

Geo: Hey! What the heck!? *frowns in deep thought* Can muses even get sunburned...? Why that little {censored} Argh! Damn this censor! Sigh...anyways... Here's something I got from a tv show...it's funny! Tee hee! Anyways, here we go!

President-president-bo-besident-banana-fana-fo-fesident-me-my-mo-mesident...I'M THE PRESIDENT! However, I do not own CCS in any shape or form...

That was strange...anyways, on to the sixth chapter! 

**chapter six**

**becoming the enemy**

"I still can't believe that you called a cease-fire." Eriol grumbled as the three young men trekked up the stairs to Eriol's apartment, where there was a computer that could log on and contact the main base. 

"Yours is not to question, yours is simply to obey." Syaoran grumbled as Eriol opened the door and logged onto the basic main frame. 

"So, what are we going to tell them? 'Oh, Syaoran, one of the best in the agency, decided to let his sanity slip and fell in love with Sakura Kinomoto, one of our most dangerous rivals.'" Yamazaki laughed as he headed straight for the refrigerator. 

"We aren't saying anything. We're just going to say that we can't get the password. They'll understand. Sakura is the toughest spy out there." Syaoran replied, watching Eriol check the in-box. Like always, the boss was ready for their report. 

"Ah, I see that our most elite team has not surrendered yet to Sakura's disastrous fate." The boss said, smiling. 

"Yeah...right..." Yamazaki muttered, but was soon shut up by Syaoran's 'if looks could kill' glare. 

"Yes. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get the information. She's a hard nut to crack." Eriol replied, feeling lucky that they were in front of the boss and Syaoran couldn't so much as punch him for the last remark. The boss, in the meantime, frowned. 

"That's too bad. Perhaps you need reinforcements." Syaoran shook his head. 

"No need, sir. I believe we're capable...very capable." Syaoran could not let any of the others get near Sakura, for they wouldn't stop and think if they loved her or not. 

"Well, we'll see. Report back in a week's time. Dismissed." With that, the screen went blank and the boys breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Man, I still don't know we're going to pull this one off." Yamazaki said, plopping down on the couch, taking his gun out of his holster. 

"Shut up, Yamazaki, and make yourself helpful. Find out about our favourite terrorist group and see what they're up to. They haven't been doing anything for quite a while." Syaoran ordered, walking towards the door. Yamazaki groaned. 

"We haven't even finished this assignment yet and we're checking up on another one?" Syaoran glared at him 

"As far as we're concerned, this mission is over. Don't ever forget that." Yamazaki sighed as Eriol looked up from the cup of coffee he was making. 

"Where are you going now, Syaoran?" Yamazaki chuckled. 

"To see Ms. She's-Going-To-Get-Us-All-Killed herself." At Syaoran's second glare for the day, Yamazaki started muttering incoherently. 

"Syaoran, listen, I don't know..." Eriol started but Syaoran shrugged. 

"Don't worry. Everything will work out." With that, he walked out of his door. Yamazaki shook his head. 

"He's going to get us all killed." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura smiled as she saw the familiar tall figure walking through the skate park, talking to Andrew (A/n: Remember him, the skater dude?) He smiled back as he saw Sakura. With a wave, he hurried over to her. Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she took his hand and said, "What say we go to a cafe?" Syaoran smiled. 

"Sure. Why not. As if I need any more caffeine, huh?" Sakura laughed as she picked a nice little cafe near the park. 

Sakura ordered a hot chocolate while Syaoran ordered an iced tea. Syaoran laughed as the waiter walked away. 

"How can you have hot chocolate at," he checked his watch, "2:30 in the afternoon. In the summer." Sakura shrugged. 

"Hot chocolate is good all year round." Syaoran rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small smile that appeared. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Sakura asked as she finished her hot chocolate. Syaoran nodded and pulled out his wallet. However, Sakura was quicker, pulling some money from her purse. 

"No you don't. You've paid for the bills ever since we met each other. I'll pay for this one." She said. 

"No way, Sakura. I'm paying..." She laughed at his serious look. 

"Don't let it hurt your macho pride, Syaoran. I'm paying for this bill, all right?" Before Syaoran had time to argue, she handed the waiter the bills and stood up. Syaoran put the money back into his, muttering incoherently. Frowning, he followed Sakura down to the park. 

"I had it covered, Sakura..." He said as she took his hand. 

"It's over, Syaoran. Forget about it." She said, laughing blithely. She had almost forgotten what happened yesterday. Almost. Looking up at Syaoran's handsome face, now calmed down about the whole 'macho pride' incident, she felt lucky to have someone like him. She sighed, remembering the conversation she and Tomoyo had earlier that morning. 

~*~*~flashback~*~*~ 

"I still can't believe that you called a cease-fire!" Tomoyo raged as Sakura dropped by for a friendly visit. 

"I had to, Tomoyo. I told you. I love Syaoran." Tomoyo scoffed. 

"Love? What does love have anything to do with it?" Sakura sighed. 

"Tomoyo, when you yourself find it, you will see that it means everything in the world." 

"How about everything that we worked for?" Tomoyo asked fiercely. "How about all those people in our agency who are depending on you. I don't know what happened, however I have an idea. I have an idea that perhaps Syaoran knows the password." Sakura gasped, then nodded, lowering her head. 

"What are you going to do about it, Sakura?" 

"I'm going to make sure we stay alive. And same with Syaoran. I'm going to...somehow..." Tomoyo sighed, plopping down on the couch. She was silent for a moment, then looked up, smiling. 

"Alright, Sakura. Whatever you say. But...just don't get yourself killed." 

~*~*~end flashback~*~*~ 

"What's the matter, Sakura?" Syaoran asked at Sakura's sigh. 

"Hm? Oh, nothing." Syaoran looked at her for a moment, trying to read her thoughts. He knew that something was wrong. She was probably upset with herself for last night. Last night when a lot had been revealed. 

_'How can I make you trust me, Sakura? I won't ever give away the password.'_ He thought desperately, but squeezed her hand reassuringly. Sakura smiled back and Syaoran thought that all this would be worth it. 

However, his cell rang. Grumbling, he reached into his pocket. 

"This had better be good." He growled quietly. 

"Yo, dude, chill out." Yamazaki said from the other line. "I just did what you told me to." 

"What?" Syaoran asked, trying to rack his brain for what he may have said earlier. 

"You said to check up on that local terrorist group. I did. It seems like they're trying something big for the Twin Stars Charity Ball." That got Syaoran's attention. 

"Have you contacted the boss about this?" 

"Can't. They seem to get some new toys. They almost tracked my signal. They've got everything under surveillance right now." 

"Where are you?" 

"Over at Eriol's." Syaoran looked over at Sakura. 

"We can't let the terrorists know we know." 

"Exactly what Eriol and I thought. So, what are we going to do?" 

"We're going to team up with Sakura's team." 

"What?!?! Look, I draw the line somewhere..." 

"Look, we're going to need all the help we can get." 

"But that's not what I meant." 

"Okay, we'll meet up at Eriol's." 

"What?!?" Yamazaki started but Syaoran hung up on him before he got a chance to even respond. 

"Syaoran," Sakura asked warily, looking at Syaoran suspiciously. He smiled at her. 

"Trust me. This has nothing to do with any of us. Call Tomoyo and tell her to meet us at your house." 

"What do you mean my house, Syaoran?" He shrugged. 

"Convenient enough. All of us know where it is." She sighed and tried to look angry, but failed miserably. Smiling she shook her head. 

"I really wish you'd tell me when I'm going to have company." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Eriol glared at Tomoyo. Tomoyo glared at Eriol. Yamazaki glared at Chiharu. (A/n: She was called in by Tomoyo...yeah, that's it!) Chiharu glared at Yamazaki. A damn war had started the moment the rivals stepped into the living room. 

"I don't know how you're going to pull this off." Sakura whispered to Syaoran who smiled. 

"We. Not just me. We." He corrected her mockingly before turning back to the group. 

"If you would pause your little game for now, we have some serious business. A terrorist group may strike the Twin Stars Charity Ball. If you don't know what that is, all I have to say is wake up!" Syaoran said, pacing and glaring at each member of his team individually. 

"That's right, people. The Twin Stars Charity Ball is put on every year. Many influential individuals attend, as well as many government heads. It's usually a terrorist's paradise." Sakura continued. As the ranking officers for the teams, the two had to pull their wits together to force the others to follow them. 

"I understand that." Eriol said, leaning on the armrest of the couch. "The question is how are we going to stop them? We don't know what they're planning. We have absolutely no clue, no proof..." 

"That's why we're doing this alone. We're not calling in anyone. This place is our responsibility. All of ours." Syaoran stressed, glancing at everyone. "This jurisdiction is ours and we have to make sure nothing happens." 

"Whatever...juris-my di-..." Yamazaki stopped his somewhat rude comment abruptly at Syaoran's icy glare. 

"Anyways, Syaoran and I were thinking about this plan and we hope it suits all of you." Sakura said, smiling as she sat down with her cup of tea. Syaoran's glare turned into a small smile as he sat down beside her. Tomoyo, in spite of herself, smiled as well. 

_'I can't believe how those two could be in love...but, somehow, you can see it. In both their eyes.'_ She sighed. _'I hope I'm doing the right thing, going along with this.'_

Meanwhile, Eriol was having the exact same thoughts. 

_'The two are so opposite, it's strange yet refreshing. I've never seen Syaoran actually smile like that. He's always been either glaring or...glaring...'_

"Okay, we're going to need the genius of Eriol and Tomoyo to pull this off." Syaoran started. "They, like usual, can be base. If we have two sets of eyes, the better. Therefore nothing can be missed." 

"Yamazaki and Chiharu will be there as back-ups. They will basically be mingling and interacting, and, most importantly, listening for any plans, evil laughter...you know, the works." Sakura commented, smiling. 

"The key thing is to keep our eyes open and not kill each other." Syaoran said, as the two groups eyed each other warily. Syaoran sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair. "Listen to me. Stop thinking each other as rivals. You don't have to like each other. Just don't hate each other. All right. Because as of this moment we aren't rivals. So tolerate each other." 

Eriol sighed and turned away from Tomoyo's pretty amethyst eyes. "Well, what about you, buddy boy? What are you and...Sakura...going to be doing?" Syaoran grinned. 

"We're basically going to become the enemy." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Two friggin' days. The ball is in two friggin' days. And all the tuxes are probably rented out. Damn it all, why were we forced to do the shopping?" A ticked off Yamazaki asked Chiharu. 

"Because you were being annoying everyone. And I have to tag along to make sure you actually make the purchases." She said sarcastically but couldn't help laughing at her companion's antics. Yamazaki's weird sense of humor was pretty amusing. 

"Why can't Syaoran do this or Sakura or..." 

"Shut up, Yamazaki." 

"But..." 

"Shut up." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Two friggin' days." Eriol murmured as he checked the mikes and volume controls for the ear pieces. Tomoyo smiled over at him from her own set of wires. 

"What, you can't get your stuff ready in time? Do you need help?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. Eriol cast a glare her way, then grinned evilly. 

"I don't know..." Tomoyo threatened to throw her pliers at him. 

"Watch it..." Eriol laughed, but sighed as he looked back at his set of wires. 

"Two friggin' days." 

~*~*~*~ 

"So, do you think they're all right?" Asked Sakura as she and Syaoran finished obtaining their fake invitations and identities. 

"If they aren't charred corpses by now." He muttered, rubbing her eyes from the glare of the computer. She laughed and stretched as she stood up. 

"I wouldn't worry about them. Your team follows you like...well, they follow you. They respect you." Syaoran smiled. 

"They'd better, I am the ranking officer." Sakura shook her head. 

"You glare at them and what not but it almost seems they don't know your soft side." She messed up his hair a bit, laughing at his mock glare. "Is it because I'm the only one who has seen it?" Syaoran sighed, pulling her beside him on his seat. 

"I'm sure you probably grew up with a pretty normal life, huh? I'm sure you grew up happily with friends surrounded around you, huh?" Sakura blinked, not sure where this conversation took them. 

"Yeah. Why?" Syaoran smiled sadly. 

"You seem like that kind of person. However...my childhood never was like that. At a young age, my mother sent me off to train with swords. It was sort of like a family tradition. My father died. I was engaged to my cousin until I faked my death and came into the secret agent life. My whole life's a whole lie and I can't seem to be able to escape it. With you, though...with you, it's alright. My life doesn't seem as screwed up as it does before." 

Sakura's eyes clouded with worry for her friend, her love. She pulled him into an embrace, trying to comfort him. 

"Don't worry, Syaoran." She whispered encouragingly. "Don't worry. I'll never leave you. Nothing can separate us now. We'll find a way. I promise." 

With that, he kissed her passionately all the while thanking whichever greater force that let him hold that beautiful angel in his arms. 

~*~*~*~ 

"Syaoran, man, you look spiffy." Yamazaki said happily. Syaoran smiled, his eyebrows arched in a 'what the heck?' look but he knew perfectly well that his young friend was always excited about new missions. 

"Seriously, man! I mean...dude!" Yamazaki was just jabbering now for absolutely no reason. Syaoran's smile disappeared as he gazed seriously at the young man. 

"You have to stop thinking of this of a game, Yamazaki." Yamazaki laughed. 

"Chill, dude. Chill." However, Syaoran's gaze turned to the young women appearing before them. Mouth open with admiration, he stared at the beautiful emerald eyed angel smiling at him. She moved gracefully towards him in the midnight blue dress. She laughed, pushing his chin up to make him close his mouth. 

"Close your mouth, Syaoran or else you'll start swallowing flies." Syaoran blushed as he offered his arm. 

"You look beautiful. As always." He added, getting the blush he had expecting. 

"Well, don't let this get to your head but...you look absolutely dashing. No wonder you're a spy." He grinned and turned to Eriol and Tomoyo, holding their watches. They were not the usual black bulky watches that they usually wore, but the normal watches that you would wear to the office or so. Handing them over, Eriol explained how they worked. 

"Unfortunately, there are less features than our usual ones. However, they have just what we need: two way communications." Eriol muttered. 

"So, what are you two going to do?" Tomoyo asked, for the rest of the group never found out what Syaoran had meant when he said they would 'become the enemy.' 

"We found out two people on the information side. We took their place, you could say." Eriol smiled. 

"So you kidnapped them, and you're taking their places." Sakura smiled. 

"Basically. And since it is a cell system, no one will know who's who. All we have to do is go in." She lifted a small card that showed the title "Thompson Corporation" or the terrorists. 

"We can easily get in. All we have to do is wave these cards around in some of the known terrorist's faces." 

Tomoyo smiled. "Just be careful, you two. I want you both to come back alive. Don't try anything special." 

With that, Syaoran and Sakura stepped into one limo while Yamazaki and Chiharu stepped into the other. 

"Here we go." Sakura muttered, holding onto Syaoran's arm. He grinned. 

"Nervous?" 

"Nah." Sakura shook her head. "Not while I'm here with you." 

The glamorous lights of the gigantic hall where the ball was being held. It had originally been a large mansion, but renovated by the city and used from wedding receptions to government meetings. 

As they stopped in front of the door, Syaoran smiled and squeezed Sakura's hand encouragingly. 

"Here we go." He whispered as they stepped out of the limo into their new mission. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Geo: Phew! Finally got the chapter finished! *wipes sweat from brow* 

Okay, few things: thanks to all of you who are reviewing! Your compliments, and even your suggestions for longer chapters, make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! 

Next, sorry if I spelt the band wrong for the last song I used in the fic...heh heh...whatever. 

Next, sorry if all my chapters have bad editing. I don't usually read them over because I tend to hate them and then I delete them and that's not good....*shrug* I am working on my 'Tomorrow' fic right now. However, if anyone has any suggestions, they would be appreciated! I think I know what I'm doing though... 

Well, hope you people liked it! 

_What will happen next to Sakura and Syaoran? Will they survive this mission or will all their dreams for the future fall in a swirling heap? Find out next time!_

PS: I hope you all know that I won't kill any of the main characters! That would just be a no-no. 


	7. fireworks in the night

Geo

Geo: Woo-hoo! Yeah! I'm back! I've been meaning to get this chapter up for a LONG time, but hey...the CCS movie #2 is so cool and I got to go see it and it gave me I N S P I R A T I O N !!

Brooklyn: Could you get on with the fic already?!?!

Geo: *sigh* Fine...let me say one thing. Everyone...go see **The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring** because it looks awesome and I might even forgive the casting director for making Elijah Woods play Frodo Baggins...I never could give him any respect after that Flipper movie...man, I hate that dolphin. Okay, I'm done. 

Brooklyn: *sigh* Anyways...*takes reading glasses and a piece of paper with writing on it* Ahem...Geo does not in any way or form own Card Captor Sakura. She does not own Final Fantasy or the Lord of the Rings. She doesn't own anything...but she does own Pepsi! Ha! I lie! She does not own Pepsi...

Geo: Okie dokie...yeah! So...on to the fic. Oh wait. Some people asked me a question before and it was 'Are the agencies either all girl or all boy?' Well, the answer to that is no, they're not all this or not all that. It's just the way it is right now but no, it's not divided that way. And, also, I'd like to remind everyone that Sakura will not die...I've learned from my mistake last time with 'A Simple Letter'...heh heh heh...

**chapter 7**

**Fireworks in the Night**

Eriol sat back with a can of Pepsi in his hand. "This should go smoothly. With Syaoran..."

"And Sakura." Tomoyo said suddenly, making sure he remembered. Eriol smiled and nodded.

"Of course, and Sakura...anyways, with them on the job, nothing could go wrong." Tomoyo sighed.

"You're really confident about Syaoran." Eriol grinned, taking another sip of his soft drink.

"As you are of Sakura. They're both quick and witty and get everything they want...Sakura out of her own sweetness and Syaoran...well, Syaoran through force. But, he's a damn good leader and I'm not the first to say it." Tomoyo shrugged and sighed, turning to the black screen where, usually, there would be a reading on where the bearers of the watch were...if there were any cameras in the mansion. She sighed again. Without those cameras she felt helpless. Noticing this, Eriol smiled and reached for her hand.

Smiling and squeezing it reassuringly, he said, "Don't worry. They'll be fine."

~*~*~*~*~

"Do you see them anywhere?" Chiharu whispered to Yamazaki while smiling to an elderly old but extremely rich lady.

"Chill, babe." He said, taking a sip of his martini. "Things will go great." She scowled at him for a few brief seconds.

"How could you act so...NORMAL? I mean...you're so calm."

"When you spend the past three years in Syaoran's squad, you don't have time to worry. Just plain ol' common sense." She chuckled.

"Whatever. Do you see them?" He smiled over at her.

"Don't look for them. Look for the enemies. Syaoran and Sakura are big kids now. They don't need babysitters."

~*~*~*~*~

Sakura and Syaoran scanned the room for any potentials. Usually, the signs were uneasiness or nervousness. Many of these terrorists weren't as well trained in hiding or trying to be inconspicuous. Unlike the two young spies, who had years of training and practice in that field. It was part of their work and part of every day survival. Sakura nudged Syaoran, indicating she found someone. He smiled and lead the way towards the man.

"Do you, by any chance, know when the fireworks will be?" Sakura asked sweetly. The guy looked at them and smiled. Since there wasn't supposed to **be** any fireworks at this convention, it automatically meant the bombing and the guy knew it.

"Finally, you guys are here." He said, whispering and flicking his card up for a few brief seconds. "I've been on the lookout for ages. What took you so long?" Syaoran frowned.

"Didn't they tell you anything? There may be agents here." The guy smiled.

"They don't know nothin', but. Absolutely nothin'."

"Still, better safe than sorry. Where do we go?" Asked Sakura. The guy smiled.

"Basement. We took over a few hours ago. We have the 'guards' posted and we have all the 'fireworks' are stored there. Plus, a little extra treat." Syaoran smiled.

"Perfect. We'll go there."

Walking casually towards the door so that no one could recognize them, Sakura and Syaoran silently made their way down to the basement. Further and further they went, more and more guards were posted. However, realizing that they couldn't be real authorities, the two simply flicked their 'ID cards' at them and were allowed to pass.

"I wonder what the extra treat is." Sakura muttered, smiling at another 'guard.'

"I have no idea." Syaoran said back until they got to the most heavily guard door there was.

"Hold it right there. Who the heck are you?" Asked one of the guards. Syaoran and Sakura simply showed their ID's and were permitted to continue. Walking through the door, they saw crates of explosives.

"So this is why they've been quiet all of this time." Syaoran muttered, glancing around. "They have enough explosives to blow up the entire city."

"No, unfortunately, not that many." Said a voice behind them. They turned and saw a smiling young woman. She walked to the many television screens, that showed the people talking, dancing, laughing. "We don't want to blow up the entire city. What good would that do? Oh, no, only enough to make sure there's a crater where this place is standing. And it will go off in about twenty minutes." Sakura smiled and chuckled.

"Um...we heard something about a special treat?" The woman turned back.

"Hm? Oh, of course. The poison."

~*~*~*~*~

"What do you think is happening. We've only gotten a few reports from Chiharu and Yamazaki, but not from Syaoran and Sakura. Do you think we should contact them?" Tomoyo asked, a bit worried. Eriol shook his head.

"No. We can't. We won't. What if they're working some things out with the enemy? It wouldn't work to have someone find out that their wristwatches were mics. No, we have to trust them." Tomoyo sighed and nodded.

"Of course I trust them. It's just...it's just...weird." Eriol smiled.

"I know how you feel."

~*~*~*~*~

"Poison?" Asked Syaoran, trying to hide his shock. The woman smiled.

"Oh yeah. What else would we do? We thought it would be a nice parting gift." She laughed. "Of course, the stuff's not enough to actually kill someone. What would be the fun in blowing up a place with no one alive inside of it?"

_'This woman is insane. They're all insane.'_ Sakura desperately thought inside. On the exterior, she was smiling and just as calm as Syaoran.

"So, is there anything you want us to do?" She asked. The woman smiled.

"Well, you can always deliver this little disk to this man over here." She said, pointing to someone on the screen. Syaoran pretended to look and study the face, but was really thanking the gods that they would have some time not under any surveillance.

"Alright, got him." He said, smiling. Sakura received the disk then smiled.

"Should we come back here when we're done?" The woman smiled. 

"Of course."

Smiling, the two walked out and through the halls.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura whispered.

"We're going to have to evacuate, that's the only key. We can't undo all the bombs now, especially by ourselves. We have to simply evacuate." Waiting until there was no one around, Sakura stood guard and Syaoran activated the mic in his 

"Hiragizawa. Can you hear me?"

~*~*~*~*~

"Hiragizawa. Can you hear me?" Came Syaoran's voice over the speaker. Eriol whirled around, and activating the two way speakers, with Tomoyo walking over to him.

"Yo, Li, I'm here. What's the scoop."

"Let's just say that if it was the Fourth of July, these people have enough explosives to light up all 50 states and that's an understatement." Eriol let out a low whistle.

"That bad?"

"That isn't half of it. They have a treat for the guests. And it's poison." Tomoyo gasped.

"What the hell...?" She muttered.

"Listen, we don't have enough time to unwire all of this stuff. There's about 15 minutes left. Not even the entire bomb squad could do it. That's why we need an evacuation. Now." Eriol nodded, even though he knew that Syaoran couldn't see him.

"You can count on us." Eriol said as Tomoyo grabbed the mic.

"Listen to me. Come back alive. If you can't save the building, DON'T." She said fiercely.

"I promise I'll bring Sakura back."

"I meant both of you, Mr. Li." Tomoyo said, smiling a bit.

"I'll try." And then there was nothing but static. Eriol sighed and glanced at Tomoyo. 

"We'd better get at it. Full scale evacuation."

Tomoyo activated the two way mic to Chiharu. "Chiharu. Come in. We're going to put in a full scale evac. You copy?"

"Copy loud and clear. We have it under control." There was pause. "What about Sakura and Syaoran?"

"Everything's fine. We just need to keep things calm."

"Got it."

~*~*~*~*~

Syaoran stood up and fixed up his tuxedo.

"Are we really going to deliver the disk?" Syaoran frowned in thought as Sakura continued. "They have cameras all over the place. You saw."

"You're right. But we only have about 15 minutes left. We can't risk it. We have to get as many bombs as we can disarmed and get out of here." Sakura smiled.

"Leave that to me." Stepping over to where one of the fake guards stood, she smiled sweetly.

"Is this where the 'fireworks' are kept, sir?" The guard laughed.

"Only a couple. They have them all over the building." Sakura continued to smiled while her mind screamed in panic.

_'All over the building?!? We can NEVER get those all disarmed.'_

"Me and my partner are actually supposed to check on the inventory and make sure everything's up to date. Do you mind if we go in?" The guard looked at her suspiciously.

"You need a reference, and you should've been given a card to go in, anyways. Are you sure you're supposed to be checking the inventory?"

"Oh, yes. Now, give me the card so I can go in." Sakura said through clenched teeth. Swiftly, Syaoran came up beside her and threw a punch straight in the guy's gut. The guard fell over and passed out. Quickly checking the pockets, Sakura took out the entrance guard and swiped it through the alarm system. She gasped at the sight of the room. Explosives lined the wall every wall, except for the one with the sole computer in sight.

"This must be how it must everywhere in the building." Sakura whispered. Syaoran sighed.

"It must be. Well, let's get started."

~*~*~*~*~

"Detective Andrews speaking." Came a voice from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Jake. It's me, Hiragizawa."

"Hey, Eriol. You have any 'anonymous' tips for me?" Asked the good-natured police officer. The agencies always liked to have someone in the police force so if anything happened that would need the police's attention, they would get it without any unnecessary questions.

"You can say it's a tip. More like an order from Syaoran." Jake let out a low whistle.

"I see. What's up?" Eriol had to smile. Syaoran was basically the highest officer there could be, other than the boss himself. If he has even a request, anyone would answer.

"He wants a full scale evacuation at the Twin Stars Charity Ball. There are scheduled fireworks in about 15 minutes, tops."

"Oh boy. Does he want a bomb squad?"

"No time, Jake. He doesn't want anyone getting hurt, including the bomb squad. Clear?"

"You got it. I'm sending a team right now."

"Thanks, Jake." With that, Eriol hung up and turned to Tomoyo, who was busy telling all the details to Chiharu. He had to smile. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

~*~*~*~*~

"I got it!" Sakura whispered and turned around to Syaoran. He smiled at her happy yet surprised look on her face. He glanced at his watch. There was approximately nine minutes left.

"All right, Sakura. I knew you could do it. We should get out of here and make sure the evacuation is going smoothly."

"Not so fast, traitors." Came a voice. Turning abruptly, Syaoran noticed it was another one of those fake guards, holding up a gun.

"What do you want?" Syaoran asked exasperatedly. He was not in the mood to argue with yet another guard. 

"You are not really of this corporation. We should have known from the start. You're Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinomoto, aren't you?" The guard asked, smiling for his sudden knowledge. 

"Ooh, you are good." Sakura said, sarcastically, all the while reaching for her gun, which was conveniently hidden under her skirt. (A/n: Think of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. Thanks to cherry-cherry-girl for the suggestion!) Following the first guard, ten more entered the room. Syaoran rolled his eyes as he faced the eleven sets of guns. 

"Listen, I don't have time for this and you probably don't either. The bombs supposed to blow up in about eight minutes. So might as well just let us go and everything will be fine." 

"The people may have been evacuated but we're not letting you get out of here alive." One of the men said. 

"Oh really?" Sakura asked. So quickly that no one could sense her movements, she brought out her concealed gun and shot two men, dead, right away. 

"Sakura, we have to get out of here!" Syaoran cried, grabbing his own gun out of its holster. Sakura nodded and knew what he was talking about. Even though the bombs were all shut down now, there was the slight possibility for a mishap and the whole room, including them, would blow up. 

Taking her hand and shooting with his free hand, Syaoran blew a straight path for them as Sakura covered them and shot as many guards as they possibly could. Running down the hall, they heard the distinct thumping sound of footsteps behind them. 

"Oh shit, reinforcements." Syaoran muttered, discarding his empty gun and taking out another one. (A/n: where he keeps all those guns in a tux is beyond me. He just does.) 

"Stop right there! You're not getting out here alive!" Shouted one of the guards. 

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Syaoran muttered through clenched teeth, leading Sakura and him to a doorway that would act as their cover. 

The two agents were not only some of the best in their line of work just because they knew how to act. They were dead shots, and the guards were shot down, one by one, before long. Sakura checked her watch. 

"Five minutes left, Syaoran. Let's just get out of here." She muttered. Syaoran nodded. 

Running down the empty halls, the two thought they were home free. 

How wrong they were... 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Where are they?" Chiharu asked frantically and looked up to Yamazaki, hoping that he had some sort of funny joke to cheer her up and get her nerves to calm down. However, his usual grin was replaced by a frown as he peered at the abandoned house from a safe distance. The rest of the guests were being taken to their homes or hotels for precaution. However, the four remaining agents had stayed, watching for any signs of the fleeing Syaoran or Sakura. 

"I have no idea, babe. He's cutting it close. He never does that. He's always yelling at me to stop cutting it so close." He turned to Eriol and Tomoyo, who had joined them at the site. 

"Have you had any calls from them?" Tomoyo shook her head. 

"Absolutely none." 

"I have a bad feeling about this." Eriol muttered, glancing back at the somewhat abandoned mansion. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Well, Mr. Li, Ms. Kinomoto. What a pleasure to see you. Too bad you didn't tell me your real identities when you first came, or I would've given you an appropriate greeting." The woman who they had spoken to earlier said. In her hand was a PP7. She was planning to get rid of the two agents, right then and there.

"As you can probably tell, I have no time for you. So, who would like to go first?" She asked. Syaoran placed himself in front of Sakura.

"Alright, Mr. Li, you're our lucky winner." The woman joked.

"You wish." Syaoran said, and with that threw a punch at the woman. She quickly dodged it and kicked him instead. He sank to his knees as she skipped back a bit to get out of his range.

"Syaoran, I'm surprised. You're losing your touch." She said, shaking her head. She quickly glanced at her watch.

"Tsk, tsk. I really must be going. So if you don't mind..." She said and clicked off the safety. Syaoran glanced up from the floor where he had fallen in pain. He slowly stood up as if he was accepting his death to protect Sakura. 

Sakura's eyes widened in absolute fear. She couldn't let him die on him now. There was only a few minutes left. They could make it.

The next part happened almost in slow motion in Syaoran eyes. Sakura's desperate cry. The clicking of the gun and the metal hitting flesh. But it wasn't his flesh being pierced by the bullet. Looking down, he saw Sakura drop to her knees, clutching her side.

"One minute until self destruct." Came the usual overhead voice that came during the last few minutes until an explosion. The woman, still smiling, looked down at her gun.

"Oh darn, empty." She said cheerfully. "Oh well. Good luck, Mr. Li, Ms. Kinomoto." She smiled again, then turned and closed the doors. Syaoran heard the distinct sound of a lock.

"Damn it." Syaoran said. Yet another problem to overcome. He was supposed to find a way out for both of them in one minutes. Glancing back down at Sakura, he kneeled beside her.

"Please, Sakura, hang on." He whispered. She smiled up at him and lifted her hand from her side. It was deep red with blood. Her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious.

"No, Sakura, hang on. You have to. We're getting out of here alive." He whispered and picked her up gently. Turning, he quickly ran down the hall to an emergency exit. This was, after all, a public place and there were always public exits. Luckily, all the guards had fled because of the bombs, therefore Syaoran wasn't bothered.

"30 seconds left." The voice said.

Syaoran tried to pick up speed. He had to get both of them out of the building. He had promised Tomoyo that he would get Sakura safely out of the building.

He climbed the stairs to get up into the main building. Turning, he could see the emergency exit door just ahead of him.

**"10 seconds...9...8...7..."**

Syaoran clutched the precious bundle. Sakura had taken the bullet for him. He had to get her out and to the hospital. He had to keep her alive.

**"6...5...4..."**

Syaoran knew that it was going to be close. They were hardly at the door and he had three seconds left. But he had to try. He couldn't give up.

**"3..."**

_Don't worry, Sakura. I'll keep us alive..._

**"2..."**

With his hands full with Sakura, he had to turn to his side and ram the door open. Just when he got the door open he heard the last count...

**"1..."**

~*~*~*~*~

"3, 2, 1..." Eriol muttered and then covered his eyes as the entire building blew up. Taking Tomoyo in his arms to help protect her, his heart sunk. Syaoran didn't make it. Neither had Sakura. They were both in there, trapped and most likely...dead...

Tomoyo was trembling with desperate sobs, not believing that Sakura or Syaoran could be dead. Yamazaki was holding onto Chiharu's hand, his face dazed and looking at the wreck as tears flowed openly down Chiharu's face. Shaking his head, Eriol knew he had to take control.

"Come on, guys. They can't be...they couldn't have failed." He said, trying to get their attention.

"I know they're alive. They have to be. Once the immediate danger is over, we're going to go search for them." He continued, looking down and smiled gently at Tomoyo, who wiped her eyes and nodded.

"You're right. We'll go in a few minutes." The firefighters were already soaking off the building to reduce the flames.

_'They have to be alive,'_ Tomoyo thought as she hung onto Eriol's warm embrace. _'Syaoran promised me. They have to be.'_

Somewhere in the nearby field, under some debris, a figure groaned and stood up. He had a few burns, cuts and bruises but none that were too bad. In his arms was a beautiful young woman, protected from the explosion by the young man. Taking a few unsure steps, the man shook his head and then, more confidently, walked toward the group of young agents.

~*~*~*~*~

"Hey! Hey, what's that?" Yamazaki asked as the group prepared to leave to search the site. The rest of the group dashed to where he was standing. 

"I don't believe it..." Eriol muttered. For there was a weary and messed up Syaoran carrying Sakura through the lot to the group. Tomoyo, Eriol, Chiharu and Yamazaki ran over to them, smiling and shouting. 

"You two did it! Ha ha, you did it!" Yamazaki yelled and waved. As the group joined up with him, they could see some tears in his eyes as he shook his head. 

"No, I didn't do it. Sakura took a bullet in the side for me." Tomoyo gasped as she understood why Syaoran's jacket was over her and being held tightly by Syaoran. 

"Is she...?" Chiharu asked, new tears coming to her eyes. He shook his head. 

"She's not dead, just unconscious. However, she's lost a lot of blood. We have to get her to a doctor." He turned to Eriol. 

"Phone up Meilin. We're going to need her help." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Geo: And that's the end of chapter 7. Yeah! 

Brooklyn: Woo-hoo! Finally! Done! Over! 

Geo: No, Brooklyn, wrong. Only chapter 7 is done. The whole story is not done just yet. It's very near to done, though! Yipee! 

Brooklyn: Thank goodness! 

Geo: *glares* Oh well...It's kind of weird that I'm making Yamazaki almost like Zell from Final Fantasy VIII...or almost like a Duo...oh well *shrug* Yes, Meilin will be coming in the next chapter so yeah...here's to all you Meilin fans. Sorry E+T and Y+C fans, I'm not too good at making other romances other than S+S...heh heh...sorry, I'll try to make it better in the chapters to come...whoa, there aren't that many left...and then this story will be...DONE! Whoa...scary thought. Anyways, ha ha phoenixangel...yes, you caught on, those quotes were little things from The Matrix. I couldn't help it! 

Okay, I have a few thank you's: 

1.) To my reviewers! Thanks so much to all of you who always review! You guys always make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! 

2.) To Cherry. Her stories are awesome and so much more superior than mine, but she always takes the time to give me tips and what-not for my stories. She also holds a gun to my head if the chapters don't come up soon enough and since she knows where I live, I have to make sure that I update regularly. 

3.) To my dad. I know, kinda weird, but here's why. I get a lot of my info from my father, like which wines are good (except for the Shizar, which was my picking. It was good! No, I don't get drunk...that was just on Christmas and I had a sip!). He also helped me on a lot of the secret agent stuff, like cyanide and the name for that. (Yeah! Go James Bond movies!) He just gives me a lot of information, when I ask for them. So, thanks dad even though he's N E V E R going to read this. 

4.) To my brother. He helped me with the whole skateboarding tricks back in, oh... chapter three? That was the chapter, right? Well, yeah. He told me all the tricks. (Yeah! Go Playstation and Tony Hawk Pro Skater!) So, thanks to him even though he's N E V E R going to read this either. 

And thanks to all of you who actually read my gibberish. Thanks a bunch! Hope you liked the chapter and the next one will be up SOON! I've already written it, I just have to type it out...heh heh... 

~Geo 


	8. the doctor is in

Geo

Geo: Oh, and it's me again! Yup, I was at my cottage and I all of a sudden started writing -- a lot. So...here's the next chapter. Yeah!

I'd like to say sorry to many people:

1.) phoenixangel: I'm so sorry I haven't reviewed your next few chapters. I loved them! I was going to then...ff.net went down. So sorry it's taken me so long!

2.) Jurei: I haven't reviewed your fic either but I loved them! I couldn't get to chapter 5 yet but when I'm there I will review....and the review will be three times as long!

To everyone else who I usually review their chapters but I haven't yet and I haven't named you. So sorry! I'll try my best!

Oh, a little note. Even though Syaoran made that little remark about the 4th of July and fireworks last chapter (if you don't remember, it's below in the 'previously on DANGEROUS RIVALS section) it doesn't mean they live in the US. They still live in Tomoeda.

Brooklyn: Anyways, yeah...disclaimer. Geo doesn't own anything, such as Syaoran or Sakura or anyone out of CCS.

Geo: *blink* My, you're being agreeable today, Brooklyn...*narrows her eyes* What are you on?

Brooklyn: Nothing! Nothing at all...heh heh...

Geo: Okay...*whispers to reader* You act normal and read the fic. I'll keep an eye on her...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_**Previously...**_

_ ..."Let's just say that if it was the Fourth of July, these people have enough explosives to light up all 50 states and that's an understatement."..._

_ ..."I promise I'll bring Sakura back alive."..._

_ ...She smiled up at him and lifted her hand from her side. It was red with blood. Her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious..._

_ ..."Phone up Meilin. We're going to need her help."..._

**chapter 8**

**the doctor is in**

Yamazaki stared at Syaoran. "What? Phone Meilin? Come on, you have got to be kidding." Syaoran shook his head.

"I'm serious. She's the best doctor we know. I know for sure my cousin is on today. We can get Sakura in, no problem. No questions by other doctors, no hassle."

"Syaoran, do you really believe Meilin will help Sakura Kinomoto? No offense intended." Eriol added to Tomoyo and Chiharu, who, momentarily, looked offended.

"Don't give me that crap, Eriol. She'll listen to me. I need her help. Sakura needs her help. Or...or she will die." Syaoran said quietly, not wanting to utter such ugly thoughts. Eriol sighed and glanced over at Yamazaki, who shrugged.

"He has a point, dude. Where else can we go without being asked who we are or how this happened?" Eriol nodded in agreement and took out his cell phone which was in his jacket pocket.

~*~*~*~*~

The phone rang in Dr. Meilin Li's office just as the young doctor was about to leave. She sighed and glanced at her office phone, wondering who would phone her just when she was leaving. She was going to have to talk to the receptionist about that. Noticing it wasn't the office phone, she reached into her bag and pulled out the ringing cell phone.

"What do you want? Do you know what time it is?" She growled. On the other line, Eriol chuckled. Meilin reminded him so much of her cousin.

"Meilin, it's me, Eriol." Meilin brightened.

"Is my cousin with you?"

"Yes. Listen, we're in need of your medical knowledge." Meilin's eye's widened in fright.

"What happened to Syaoran?" 

"Nothing. It wasn't him who got hurt. Look, please meet us in an emergency room or something."

"Of course. ER2. That one's empty tonight, or should be. It's always empty, anyways."

"Thanks Meilin. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

~*~*~*~*~

Meilin anxiously watched for the group at ER2, a room dedicated to the agents. 

_'Who could've gotten hurt in Syaoran's squad?'_ Meilin wondered. She heard recently he was in a team with Eriol and Yamazaki. Eriol didn't sound hurt and he Syaoran wasn't either. So that only left Yamazaki.

"Meilin, are you here?" Came Eriol's voice from outside the door.

"Come in." She said. In walked Yamazaki and Eriol, followed by a dark haired girl and a lighter haired one. Next was Syaoran carrying a young woman in his arms. Meilin was shocked at the disorder of Syaoran. He was pale and had several cuts and bruises. He looked worried and he kept glancing down at the young woman. 

_'That person...she looks so familiar...who could it...'_ Meilin gasped as she realized who it was that Syaoran was carrying. 

"Is **she** who I have to help? Well, no way am I helping Sakura Kinomoto." She turned to Eriol, glaring madly at Tomoyo and Chiharu. 

"And who are these people. More enemies? And you brought them here? Eriol, I thought you had more common sense." Meilin frowned at Yamazaki then turned back to Syaoran. 

"Never in a million years did I think you of all people would come in her with our enemy, asking me to save her life. That would be...that would be almost like treason!" Syaoran's usually emotionless amber eyes stared at her with so much sorrow and pleading that Meilin almost took a step back. 

"Please, Meilin. She's going to die if she doesn't get help." Meilin crossed her arms stubbornly. 

"I'm not helping her, Syaoran. You, I can help. Her, never..." 

"You're a doctor, for heaven's sake!" Yamazaki intervened. "You shouldn't care who it is you're saving. You should be impartial!" 

"No, I won't help that bi-" 

"Stop, Meilin and listen." Syaoran said sternly. "Sakura took the bullet for me. The bullet in this brave woman's side was meant for me. Sakura saved me." Meilin looked at Syaoran, her eyes wide with disbelief. 

"Sakura Kinomoto...she...she saved you?" She asked. Syaoran looked down fondly at Sakura and nodded. Meilin eyed him carefully. 

_'He loves her. And she must have loved him to save him...'_ Sighing, she smiled a bit and turned to wash her hands. 

"Very well. I'll see what I can do." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura opened her eyes slowly. Her side hurt - a lot - and she wanted to go back asleep. Slowly, she regained her sharp senses and she could hear the quiet voices in the same room. 

"Leave me, alone, Meilin. I'm fine." Sakura's heart leapt with joy at the sound of Syaoran's quiet voice. 

_'He's alive! Syaoran's alive! Thank goodnes...'_

"No, Syaoran. You don't seem to realize that you got a huge cute on your left arm." 

"So what, Meilin?" 

"Just let me clean it up and put a bandage on it. Then you can do whatever you damn well want." 

Sakura sighed happy, quietly, not wanting to worry Syaoran. She didn't know who this Meilin person was but she did know that she was indebted to her. Closing her eyes again, she fell in a sound and dreamless sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"My, she's sleeping for a long time." Tomoyo said, sighing. Yamazaki and Chiharu had found "Monopoly" to pass the time and they and Eriol and Tomoyo were playing. So far, Tomoyo was in the lead, with Eriol following close behind. Yamazaki had the least amount of money. 

"Figures, you can never hold onto money for very long." Syaoran commented when he had stopped pacing for a few seconds to observe the game. 

"Don't worry." Meilin replied to Tomoyo's worried comment, not looking up from some charts she was working on. "Sleep is the best thing for her right now. It helps them forget about any pain whatsoever." 

At the word 'pain', Syaoran grimaced, remembering the blood-red color on Sakura's hands. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and, looking over, he saw it was a gently smiling Tomoyo. 

"I failed, Tomoyo. I promised I'd bring her back..." 

"And you did." She interrupted. "You brought her back alive." 

"It was close, Tomoyo. It was so close. I was so afraid I would loose her." He admitted softly. 

"It's not your fault that she got hurt. But you promised to bring her back, and you did." Syaoran smiled back at Tomoyo and then chuckled. 

"You'd better get back to the game or else Yamazaki's going to steal all your money. I'm going to check on Sakura." Before Meilin could protest, Syaoran swiftly entered the room and quietly closed the door. Meilin sighed and went back to her reports for a while. 

"So, Doc, what is up with Sakura?" Yamazaki asked, since he had been off trying to find the board game. 

"The bullet didn't hit any major organs, just mainly flesh. Some tissue was damaged but it was easy enough to fix, since you got her here quick enough." She paused, then quietly said, "So, Syaoran really loves her, doesn't he?" Tomoyo smiled and nodded. 

"I didn't want to believe it at first either, but..." 

"But you can't deny it after a while." Eriol added, nodding in agreement. 

"There's a change in Syaoran, and I mean a big change. The way he acts around her, looks at her...I can tell when he's acting and when he's not and, believe me, he is not acting." Yamazaki said, receiving the dice from Tomoyo, who had just ended her turn. 

"You know, if someone would've told me that one day I'd be sitting here on a cease fire order with you guys, I would've laughed and shot the person for such a wild suggestion." Chiharu commented, glancing around at her former enemies. They really were okay, after a while. 

"Ditto, babe." Yamazaki laughed and took her hand in his. 

"You owe me $50, Yamazaki." Tomoyo said calmly. Yamazaki's eyes went wide with surprise. 

"What the hell, 50 bucks?! Since when?!" He asked as he quickly glanced from the game board where his little train was on 'Pennsylvania Railroad' to his small pile of Monopoly money. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Meilin quietly entered Sakura's room and smiled as she saw the faithful Syaoran on a chair beside her bed. His head kept on dropping and Meilin could easily tell that he was having a lot of troubles keeping awake. 

"Go and get some sleep, Syaoran." Meilin whispered. He lifted his head with a start and reached for his gun. Shaking his head and dropping his head at the automatic reflex. 

"No...have to stay here...have to..." Meilin smiled warmly. 

"Syaoran, you're exhausted and I don't blame you. So you have to get some rest. Just a few hours is all you need, alright? There's a hotel near the hospital. You and the others can sleep there." Syaoran shook his head in protest. 

"No...someone has to stay here..." Meilin smiled again and took his hand, hauling him up to his feet. 

"I'll stay here for a while. You and the others go sleep and then when one of you wakes up, they'll come and replace me, all right?" Meilin smiled again while she led him to the door. "Anyways, Syaoran, this is a hospital. There are nurses and such...nurses who don't know who Sakura is will come in every once in a while. I promise, Sakura will be fine." 

Syaoran looked over at his cousin, then smiled warmly. "Thanks, Meilin, for everything." Meilin shrugged. 

"It's my job, Syaoran. Just as its your job to save young women from buildings that are about to explode. Now go over and get some sleep before I decide to re-define my job." Syaoran smiled and walked out the door. Meilin walked back over to Sakura and checked that all her vital signs were still in tact. 

"So, you're the target of my cousin's affection." She whispered to Sakura, taking her pulse. "I would have never believed it. But, here you guys were...living proof that perhaps reality is stranger than science fiction. That perhaps it is really true when they say love has no boundaries." She glared down at the sleeping Sakura. "If you ever do anything to hurt my cousin...anything at all...you will not only be answering to Eriol and Yamazaki, but to me. Especially me." She laughed a bit, then wrote some things down on the chart which was at the foot of Sakura's bed. "I hope you two are happy together. Syaoran needs someone like you to brighten his life." She smiled and then walked out the door. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

When Sakura opened her eyes, it was light in her room. Her side didn't hurt as much as it had the last time she had woken up. Turning slightly, she saw Tomoyo in a chair beside her, reading a book. Tomoyo looked down at her and smiled. 

"Finally, you're up." Sakura smiled. 

"How long have I been out of it?" 

"Two days." Tomoyo smiled. Sakura's eyes went wide. 

"Two days?! Why didn't you guys wake me up?!" Tomoyo laughed. 

"Sleep was the best medicine for you, Sakura. You have to admit, your side doesn't hurt much right now, does it?" Sakura shook her head, then frowned as she looked around. 

"We're in a hospital. Who treated me? Naoko?" Tomoyo coughed then shook her head. 

"Um, no. It was Dr. Meilin Li...of Syaoran's agency." Sakura's eyes went wide, then softened. 

"Really...Meilin Li...would that mean that she's Syaoran's cousin?" Tomoyo nodded and smiled. 

"Lucky for you she is, since she probably wouldn't have helped you if he hadn't said you saved his life." Sakura shrugged then looked out the window. 

"He saved mine as well...countless times. By the way, where is he?" Tomoyo laughed. 

"I'm hoping he's sleeping right now. He was almost up the whole two days watching over you and he probably would've still been awake had Meilin not have intervened." Tomoyo smiled slyly. "Do you...want me to phone him?" Sakura sighed happily, even though it sort of hurt her side. She didn't want to worry Syaoran since he had been awake watching over her that long and she wanted him to sleep well. However, she wanted to see his handsome smile again. She wanted to hear his voice, look into the depths of his eyes, feel his arms around her... 

"Yes. Please phone him." She whispered. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

_*Ring Ring*_

"Eriol, get that." Chiharu said, not looking up from the TV. 

_*Ring Ring*_

"Yamazaki, get that." Eriol muttered, reading the newspaper. 

_*Ring Ring*_

"Chiharu, get that." Yamazaki said, not looking up from his Gameboy. 

_*Ring Ring*_

"Damn it, why didn't somebody get it." Muttered Syaoran as he walked out of his room where he had been sleeping in his boxer shorts and an old t-shirt to answer the ringing phone. 

"Hello?" He mumbled, still trying to wake up. 

"Hi, this is Tomoyo. Sakura has woken up and she's asking for Syaoran." There was a slight pause until Tomoyo continued. "Syaoran, that's you, isn't it." However, Syaoran had handed the phone over to Eriol, who was laughing at his friend's antics. 

"Nope, sorry Tomoyo. This is Eriol. Syaoran's getting ready now. You can expect him in about 0.5 seconds." He said, as he watched Syaoran trying to get his shoes on at the same time as brushing his hair and whatnot. Tomoyo laughed at the other end of the line. 

"Oh, well, I don't think Sakura's going anywhere. We'll be expecting him." Eriol hung up and looked up at his friend. 

"Hey, Syaoran, are you taking the car? Because you forgot the keys." He said, laughing. Syaoran looked over at the coffee table then shook his head. 

"It's right there, I'll run, see you guys!" He yelled back and closed the door behind him. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura was watching a program on the small television in her room when she heard footsteps outside the door. The door swung open and in jogged a panting Syaoran with messed up hair. He stood there, staring at her for a few seconds, then smiled tenderly.

"Sakura...how do you feel?" She laughed.

"I feel just fine, thank you, Syaoran. How about you? I heard you were up for a long time." Syaoran shrugged and sat down in the vacant chair beside her bed. He pushed a few stray strands of hair to the side and smiled again.

"Thank you, Sakura. You saved my life."

"And you saved mine." She replied, her beautiful green eyes happy and content. "I'm just happy both of us are safe." He bent down and kissed her on the top of her forehead.

"If you're happy, I'm happy, my angel..."

~*~*~*~*~

Well within a week, Sakura was up and walking again. However, the worst of their troubles were not yet over.

"We have to talk abut what we're going to do about this whole thing." Sakura said quietly to Syaoran. At Syaoran's questioning look, she said, "The thing about us not wanting to be agents anymore." Syaoran looked back at the movie they were watching at Sakura's apartment.

"You're right. But, what else other than death will be the solution to our problems?" He asked her quietly. Suddenly, the doorbell rang twice and there came a knock on the door three times.

"It's Tomoyo." Sakura said quietly and opened the door. In walked Tomoyo, Eriol, Yamazaki, Chiharu and Meilin.

"We brought food!" Yamazaki said triumphantly, holding up pizza boxes. Sakura laughed and got up to move some stuff of the table to make room. 

"Great, we were hungry." She said, smiling over at him. Syaoran got up and got out some plates as Sakura brought out seven bottles of pop from the fridge. The others threw down their bags and took their plates, everyone chattering and laughing. 

Once everyone was settled and eating, Tomoyo asked, "So, what were you two doing before we came?" Sakura looked down at her piece of pizza and shrugged. 

"Oh, you know...watching a movie..." 

"What movie?" Meilin asked suddenly. 

"_Devil's Advocate_." Syaoran answered, then frowned. "I think Sakura wanted to see Keanu Reeves or something..." 

"Well, anyways, continue..." Tomoyo said, taking another bite of her pizza. 

"Well, we were also talking about...well, you know..." Sakura shrugged. 

"No, we don't know. Tell us, Sakura. What were you two "talking" about?" Yamazaki asked, winking over at Syaoran, who glared at him. He did, however, turn an interesting shade of red. 

"No, you guys don't understand..." He started, but was interrupted by Chiharu's fit of giggles. 

"I didn't know that's what they called it...hm, 'talking'..." She said as she took a sip of her pop. Sakura finally got what they were talking about and turned red just like Syaoran. 

"No! That's not what I meant! I meant we were talking about, well...getting out of the whole secret agent life." Sakura admitted. She shrugged as she saw the looks of surprise on thier face. 

"S-Sakura...you can't be serious...?" Tomoyo asked. 

"Why wouldn't I be serious, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked, staring at her straight in the eye. "I don't see any point for me to stay." 

"You're the best, Sakura! We need someone like you!" Chiharu cried. 

"Oh? And you're willing to stay? To stay in the agency and fight? Still? After all of this?" Sakura asked, her voice quiet. 

"What do you mean, after all this?" Chiharu asked warily. 

"I mean, after you met Yamazaki, Eriol and Syaoran. After you met Meilin, who saved my life. After you found out that these guys aren't really scum of the Earth, like they always told us. That they're actually really nice and caring. Could you really go back knowing that one day your mission may be to destroy Yamazaki Takashi, no questions asked? Someone you shared pizza with? Someone who worried about your friend's health with you? Someone you played Monopoly with, someone who ate pizza with you? Someone who you called friend. Huh?" Sakura asked, standing up and looking at Chiharu, her eyes repeating the question silently. She glanced around at everyone, holding onto her eyes repeating over and over again her question, not only about Yamazaki but about everyone else. 

She looked finally into Syaoran's amber eyes, his expression calm like she had always known it to be. She remembered she had that conversation before with him. She remembered his answer was exactly like hers. That she could never go back to thinking that he was her enemy, that he had to be destroyed. She no longer thought that and wondered how she could've so long ago. It's a miracle that they had taken that walk. They learned trust, friendship and love. They learned all that meant to them in life, which was each other, and Sakura didn't want to go back to days of ignorance. 

She took his hand in hers and he smiled tenderly, lovingly and proudly for her speech. It reflected everything he thought she stood for: friendship, love and caring. _It's who she is_, he thought as she smiled back, her beautiful jade eyes piercing into his. 

"I know I can't." Sakura said quietly, turning to face the group again. "I can't go back. Not after this." 

"Neither do I." Tomoyo admitted. 

"The question is, how? We know that we can never escape our...life-style...except for...well, we know." Eriol said, shrugging. 

And they did know. In the bottom of their hearts they knew what was the only choice if they wanted to leave, escape and never turn back. The answer to their problems. 

That answer was death. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geo: BWAHAHAHAHA! End of the chapter. Sorry, it's kind of short again but I wanted to end it there...CLIFF HANGER! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Brooklyn: Ofcoursetheyaren'tgoingtodiearetheygeohuhhuhhuhtheyaren'tgoingtodiebecausethatwouldbebadreallybad,ohyeah...  
veryverybadeveryonewouldhateyouandeverythingandthenpeoplewouldcometoyourhouseespeciallycherryandshewould  
killyouandeverything...

Geo: *blink* OKAY BROOKLYN, WHAT ARE YOU ON?!?! 

Brooklyn: nothingnothingatall*eye twitch*nope,nothing...lalalala...exceptforsugar...lotsandlotsofsugarandoooh..  
havetoaskchicklesformoresugargoodgoodgoodgood..oopsshouldn'thavesaidanythinggoingtobeinbigtrouble...

Geo: Oookay...sugar high care of Chickles Almachi. Great...just perfect. Oh Cherry...could you please find better hiding places for the pixi stix?

Well, anyways, that was THAT chapter. Ooh...ahhh...now that everyone decided that they don't want to go back to their old 'life-style' what will they do if the ONLY answer is death? Well...find out next time!  
Hope you liked the fic and all. Reminder: None of the characters die. NONE! Oh, and I have some plans to bring in Touya, Yukito, Kaho, Nakuru, and Fujitaka for a small bit...tee hee!  
Once again, small bits of the Matrix...SORRY! This story just REMINDS me all the time...unconsciously putting quotes that are sort of from the movie...okay, you didn't catch the similarity? You haven't watched the movie? Okay, well...here it is:

You know how when you finally go back to the real world, you can never go back? And then, when Neo finds out about what the Matrix is and what really happened and what's happening on this Earth he finally freaks out. And then Morpheus is talking about going back and stuff...

"So there's no going back." (Neo)  
"No. But if you could, would you really want to?" (Morpheus)

Who caught it? Huh? Phoenixangel, you probably caught it, didn't you? My one and only Canadian dollar says you did. How about you, Cherry?

Okay, I bit of Gargoyles trivia for ya':

Which line sort of reflects what Detective Elisa Maza says about Goliath from the final episode in this last part of the chapter? In your reviews (you are going to review, right? *wink wink*) tell me or email me if you know the answer. I will put the answer up NEXT chapter! Bwahahaha! ...Yes, I watch Gargoyles...you're point being?


	9. new names, new lives

Geo

Geo: Hey! Tis I, Geo! Yeah!

Brooklyn: Boooo!

Geo: *death glare* Well, I've noticed that I take more time blabbing than actually writing the story. I wonder how you readers can take it...anyways, so we're going to do this quickly:

Brooklyn: Geo doesn't own CCS. She's poor so don't sue her. She has only one Canadian Dollar and she bet that to Phoenixangel...

Geo: That doesn't amount to much American, believe you me. Okay, well...answer to the Gargoyle thing:  
Remember how I said I'd tell you the answer to "What line reflects what Detective Elisa Maza sort of says in the final episode"? Well, here it is:

When Syaoran thinks **_'It's who she is'_. **That's right folks. Pretty easy to miss. You haven't watched the final episode of Gargoyles so you don't know what I'm talking about? Okay, Elisa is talking to one of the 'Hunters' (people who hunt down the Gargoyles...it's a family tradition run down through centuries as they were trying to hunt Demona) while Goliath is off fighting Demona. He risks his life and the life of his clan to save the human race (duh...he's the good guy...or gargoyle...). Jordan or John, I forget his name, goes something like, "He risked his life to save us..." and Elisa smiles warmly and says, "That's how he is...that's _who_ he is." (Something along those lines *shrug*) So, who caught that? Not many...oh well.

So, on to the fic! Yipee! Chapter 9!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**chapter 9**

**new names, new lives**

"Death." Tomoyo said quietly, not wanting to think any longer of a plan. She had almost lost her friend just a few short days ago. She didn't want to think about more death of people she had grown to love.

"We could always fake our own death." Yamazaki suggested. Syaoran glared at him.

"I think we've come across death too many times recently, Takashi." He said, his voice colder than ice that could make anyone cringe.

"I think he has a point there." Meilin said, thoughtfully.

"What?!" Sakura asked and dropped her pizza crust. "What do you mean?!"

"Easy, Sakura. You fake your own deaths. I can sign the reports."

"What about pictures? Evidence?" Syaoran asked skeptically.

"Easy. We have someone with the most high-tech computer systems on the planet." Meilin said, indicating Tomoyo, who nodded. "All we'd have to do is make some sort of graphics and I'm sure we can figure that out."

"How could've we gotten killed, pray tell me?" Eriol asked smugly. "We can't say in the bombing because that was a week away."

"We could say that you died trying to destroy each other. That's easy. The tricky part will actually be trying to smuggle you guys out of the country without anyone noticing." Meilin shrugged and smiled. "It's really easy, to tell you the truth."

"You know, that's actually a pretty good idea." Chiharu said, looking around to everyone sitting at the table. "How else are we actually going to get out?" It was silent for a while as the young agents racked their brains for new ideas.

"I guess it's worth a try." Sakura said quietly, looking over at Syaoran for his usually prompt support. However, he kept on frowning for sometime and looking off into space, as if debating something with himself. Finally, he nodded in agreement.

"All right! When do we get started?" Yamazaki said, obviously excited about this little project.

"Well, first we need to know what we're going to need. Passports, birth certificates, high school and college diplomas. That sort of thing. We'll have to think of that a bit later."

"Hm...yeah, that's cool." Yamazaki said, thinking about what his future career might be.

"We're going to need some time out of public so that people can forget who you guys are. Then, you arrive in another country and *poof* you're detectives or whatever you want to be." Meilin said, shrugging. "I'm sure we can make fake references. I know Eriol's the master at fake signatures." They all laughed as he stood up and bowed mockingly.

"Well, I don't think we have another choice, do we?" Sakura asked, looking around her at her companions.

At the lack of an alternative answer, Syaoran nodded and stood up, taking his plate to the sink. "Good. We'll start tomorrow."

~*~*~*~*~

Sakura walked into Tomoyo's mansion, which was already noisy with the comradely shouts of Yamazaki and Chiharu. Sakura had to smile when she thought of that pair. It was so absolutely **obvious** that they liked each other. However, whenever Yamazaki would joke around and not get to the point, Chiharu would start lecturing him.

_'I guess it's just their way of showing emotion_' Sakura thought happily.

"Do you have any food in this joint, Tomoyo?! Or do you just sit in front of your television screens all day without eating?" Yamazaki said as he whirled around on one of the computer chairs, taking a break from some graphics he was working on. Chiharu started yelling at him for minding his manners, causing Eriol to laugh his head off.

"Hey, Sakura. You can start on the college diplomas with your new names." Tomoyo said, motioning over to an empty computer beside Syaoran. "Oh, and here's the list of names and our new jobs." She said, handing her a sheet of paper.

"Hm...Sakura Avalon and I am a...hm...a high school literature teacher...sounds kinda nice, huh?" She asked Syaoran, smiling. He turned and nodded and smiled very slightly. To Sakura he looked kind of pained and hurt and she knew that something was pretty wrong for him to actually show emotion.

"Well, um, what else? Madison Taylor, owns a small boutique, Eriol Moon (A/n: I'm keeping it "Eriol" cuz I hate Eli) works for a big corporation in computer and web designs, Chelsea Anderson as a high school science teacher, Zachary Henderson, also a high school math teacher? Can't picture that but whatever...oh last but not least, Li Showron, a lawyer in a respected law firm." She looked back at Syaoran, but he was engrossed in their 'passports'.

_'I wonder what's up with him.'_ Sakura thought sadly. _'This isn't the Syaoran I know. He's either mad or thoughtful...he's upset about something._'

"Hey, Tomoyo...I'm serious. I'm really hungry..." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Hey, Meilin, does this look realistic?" Asked Eriol as he handed her a picture he had printed out of "Chiharu", pale and eyes closed. Meilin took it from him and held it under a desk lamp to see better. After a few moments of silence, she smiled and nodded. 

"It's perfect, Eriol. It looks so realistic. You can even see the shadow and the color of the blood on the clothes looks very much like blood." She said, turning off the light. 

"Here, can I see?" Asked Chiharu. Meilin handed her the picture and Chiharu observed it for a few seconds until handing it back. 

"What? Can't stand the sight of blood?" Asked Yamazaki, grinning a bit. Chiharu frowned and shook her head. 

"No, it's not that. It's just that it's kind of depressing looking at a picture of you when you're dead and you're really not..." She broke off and shook her head, turning back to her computer. "I think I'd rather just stick to fake driver's licenses." 

"Well, are we almost done?" Tomoyo asked, printing up the last birth certificate. They had been working the whole day and, looking at her watch, Tomoyo saw that it was already 10:30 pm. 

"Yeah, I think so. I just have to laminate this last license, then we're done." Chiharu said, turning back to the printer. Tomoyo smiled. 

"Good work, guys. We can finally rest up for tomorrow. We start packing tonight and leave tomorrow evening." 

Syaoran nodded and shut off his computer. Without saying a word, he walked out the door to the wide balcony out back. 

"I wonder what's wrong with him. He hasn't said a word all day." Eriol wondered out loud. 

"Yeah. Usually, I'm used to his silence. Today, it just seemed...weird." Yamazaki agreed, taking out the phone book to look for a good Italian place to eat. 

_'I've tried to remember everything we've talked about to see what's wrong,_' Sakura thought to herself. _'I just can't think of anything that would make him so upset. Wait a second...wait, didn't he say something about faking his death once before?_' She knew right then what Syaoran was upset about and why he was a bit edgy about faking their deaths. 

"I'll go talk to him." Sakura said, walking off to where he went to. After she had left the room, Yamazaki laughed and plopped back down into a computer chair. 

"It's as if she's known him forever. I mean, me and Eriol have known him for three years and she's known him, personally, for three weeks and she already knows what's up with him." Eriol shrugged and glanced at Tomoyo, smiling charmingly. 

"Ah..._l'amour_." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura walked to the door of the balcony where Syaoran was. He was standing there, leaning on the rail, looking up at the stars and she didn't want to disturb him. 

"They're beautiful, huh?" He said quietly, knowing she was there. Sakura stopped abruptly, then smiled and walked up to him, leaning on his shoulder. 

"Yeah..." She agreed softly. 

"There's one thing that reminds me of myself in stars and let me tell you it's not the beauty." He said, chuckling a bit. "Nope, that's more you, Sakura. The characteristic that I have in common with stars is that even when I die, I'm still there. It's as if I actually never die." Sakura looked up at him and noticed, even in the dim light, the pain etched on his face, his wonderful amber eyes clouded with unshed tears. 

"When am I ever going to die, Sakura? When? I just keep on living. I go through names and lives like Yamazaki goes through food. Why can't I die and just stay dead." 

"Oh Syaoran...you know you don't mean that." She said softly, brushing away his bangs which had fallen over his face, like usual. He turned to face her, his face masked with anger, shame and pain. 

"I do, Sakura. I really do mean it. I "killed" myself when I was eleven. I'm doing it now about 12 years later. Am I such a coward that I can't face one life, one reality? Am I such a coward that I have to keep on shedding this...this skin, if you will. Am I that low? As low as a snake?" He closed his eyes and looked away, hoping Sakura wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to escape. "Why can't I just die?" 

"A name is a name, Syaoran. Do they really say who you are? Are they really that important?" She asked stubbornly, making him face her. "So what if you've gone through many names? You're still the man I love and I couldn't care less if your name was something like Fran because you'd still be your sweet, protective self that I love." She smiled and hoped that her words would mean something to him. 

He looked down at her, letting her words sink in. She loved him. That's all that matters. She loved him and he loved her. She was right and Syaoran was grateful he had someone as understanding and caring as her to confide in. He chuckled and looked back up at the stars. 

"Even if you wouldn't care if my name was Fran, I certainly would. God, I would kill myself...seriously." He said, delighting in the sound of her laughter. 

"So..." She said after a few moments of silence. "What was your name before?" 

"Well...mainly people called me Xiao Lang and my last name was Li. I changed my first name, but couldn't give up my last." Sakura nodded then frowned in a thought that just popped into her head. 

"Is Meilin your cousin?" She asked. At his nod, she asked, "Was she the cousin you were betrothed to?" Syaoran looked down at her then laughed. 

"No...heh heh...no, no, no, no..." He said, shaking his head and laughing. "If I was betrothed to Meilin, I wouldn't have bothered changing my name or faking death. I would have just killed myself." Sakura looked up at him in shock. 

"Why?!" She asked. 

"Why? Because, she is probably the most persistent person I know. She was actually searching for me because she said she knew I wasn't dead. Anyways, when she did find me, she was in med school and I was on a mission for the agency. She found me out and since she is quite forceful, I had to tell her everything. I had to turn her in and she promised to secrecy right there in the office. She's somewhat in my agency but then again, she not. Other people often come in and check on her at the hospital to make sure she's going along the contract. However, her contract isn't like yours or mine. It's just secrecy policy. They can't order her to do anything except keep silent and she can move wherever she wants, as long as there's someone of the agency with her. That's why she's probably not going to move with us." He shrugged and sighed. Sakura nodded, partly in amusement and partly in relief. 

"I can't see you getting married to Meilin." She admitted. Syaoran laughed. 

"Neither can I, Sakura. Neither can I." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"That is so absolutely rude! What does he mean persistent? Stubborn? Forceful? ARGH!" Meilin screamed as the rest laughed. They were watching the two on one of Tomoyo's video cameras before she unhooked them all and deleted all the images. (A/n: check note #1) 

"I never knew Syaoran had already faked his death before." Eriol thought as Tomoyo started deleting files. "I mean..." 

"I know what you mean, dude." Yamazaki agreed as he bit into his apple. "We thought we knew him. College graduate in law..." 

"Law?!" Tomoyo asked. Yamazaki nodded. 

"Yeah, law. I think it was a side thing. 4 point average or something like that." Yamazaki shrugged and threw his apple core into the garbage. Chiharu and Tomoyo stared at them. 

"Did you all get 4 point averages in law school or something?" Yamazaki turned and shook his head. 

"What? Oh no...my thing wasn't law. I have a bachelors in math. And Eriol in Computer Sciences." Yamazaki shrugged and walked back to the fridge. "How about you girls?" 

"Tomoyo in Clothing Designs, me in sciences and Sakura in teaching. But...but definitely not 4 point averages." Chiharu said. 

Right then, Syaoran and Sakura walked back into the room, hand in hand. 

"Okay folks. We're going to have to wake up early tomorrow. Let's get as much rest as physically possible." He said confidently, as everyone had remembered the great Syaoran Li. 

_'That man, as you know, died this night.' _He thought to himself. 

"Well, I think we'd better go off on our separate ways. We died today and I guess that could do a toll on someone. Get packed. We leave tomorrow morning." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura sat back in her first class seat beside Syaoran. They had all gotten through customs and whatnot with their new passports and were on their was to Vancouver. 

"Do you think this will work, Syaoran?" She asked him quietly as glanced at the ever calm Tomoyo and Eriol and the ever goofing-off Yamazaki with Chiharu right beside him, scolding him. 

"Don't worry, Sakura. Everything will be all right. Just try not to call me Syaoran in front of other people. Remember, my name's Li from now on." He whispered back. She blushed and shrugged. 

"Sorry...Li..." He smiled, leaned over and kissed her to reassure her that no harm was done. 

"Man, I really wish they would stop doing that." Yamazaki said as he peeped over at the two. Chiharu sighed. 

"I think it's sweet, Yamazaki. I think you're better off learning some tips of charm and romance from either Eriol and Syaoran. It's a wonder that none of it rubbed off while you were working with them all those years." Chiharu said smugly as Yamazaki frowned. 

"I am too charming and romantic." He said, pouting. Chiharu laughed. 

"Oh yeah...I'd like to see you prove it." Yamazaki turned to her, as she laughed, trying to picture him 'romantic'. He raised his right eyebrow and then grinned mischievously. 

"Later, babe." He whispered in her ear, making her abruptly stop laughing and turn to him, but he was already engrossed in a Batman comic book. (A/n: Sorry folks...I couldn't resist the whole 'comic part) 

"I think they're all getting along nicely." Tomoyo said as she watched the two couples chat comfortably. 

"Yes, I suppose they are." Eriol nodded, then flashed his charming smile at her. "And what about us? Do you suppose we're getting along nicely?" Tomoyo smiled sweetly as her dark eyes glittered in amusement. 

"Yes, very nicely." She answered. "I hope Meilin will be joining us soon. Just as long as she can get a trustworthy person to 'keep an eye on her'." 

"Do you suppose she'll actually need someone there, or do you think they'll just let her report in every once in a while?" He asked. She shrugged. 

"I have absolutely no idea. However, I do hope she will be coming soon. It was really nice of her, doing all that stuff for us and risking her life as well." Tomoyo said, matter-of-factly. Eriol smiled and pulled out a nice hardcover by one of his favourite authors that he was planning to read for quite some time. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Sakura couldn't keep still. Even with her book, she couldn't stop this growing anxiety within her. She tried to look out the window, sleep, listen to music so that hopefully she'd be able to calm down. It was useless, though. She couldn't. There was something bothering her, she just didn't know what. 

Syaoran looked up from his own book to glance at the fidgeting Sakura. He smiled and placed the bookmark back into the book. 

"Are you all right, Sakura?" She looked up from the passenger guide from the plane she was reading. 

"Wha--? Oh...um, yeah, I'm fine...just reading about...oxygen masks." She said, holding up the pamphlet. "They're very interesting. No one understands they're worth. I mean, if we just so happened to go down in an accident or we suddenly need oxygen masks, poof, they'd be there!" She said, trying to act normal. Syaoran obviously saw through it, raising an eyebrow. 

"Riiiggghhht...Sakura, what did you have to drink?" He asked. Sakura started to answer, then stopped and glared at him. 

"No alcohol nor caffeine, for your information." She said, crossing her arms and settling back with a pout on her face. Syaoran laughed and reached for her hand. 

"Everything's going to be fine. I promise." He said, trying to comfort her. He knew that she was anxious. He was too, in a way. But, perhaps, not as anxious as she. 

"I know, Syaor - I mean, Li." She said, smiling and shrugging at her forgetfulness. "It's just that...I don't know if I can handle this...always looking out to make sure they didn't find out we're here or whatever..." Syaoran shook his head. He wanted to be able to reassure her that everything was going to be all right, just like she had the night before. 

"Don't worry, Sakura. You'll be fine. We'll be fine. Our plan is almost fool proof." 

"Almost..." She muttered under her breath. Syaoran nodded. 

"Okay, so it's almost like a 10 percent chance we could get caught. But, I KNOW we won't. And I'll always be there with you, if you ever need anything." She sighed and happily smiled. She leaned her head on his strong shoulder and nodded a bit. 

"I know, Li. You'll always be there. Thank you." And with that, she finally dozed off. 

Syaoran smiled at his beautiful angel and went back to his novel. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"What do you mean, dead?!?!" Touya Kinomoto asked. "How could Sakura, Chiharu AND Tomoyo be dead? Oh, I will KILL that stupid Li guy..." Fujitaka Kinomoto, the boss of the whole agency, shook his head. 

"Sorry, Touya, you can't. You missed your chance. He's dead as well." Touya's eyes widened, then he sat back in his chair, shaking her head. 

"I can't believe Sakura's dead. She was almost like...a sister to me. I mean, she took my last name and everything..." He said softly. Fujitaka nodded. 

"I understand. You were her mentor and protector, as I had been to you when you just entered the agency. They were all special to us. But we have to let this go, all right? We're going to go on with our missions and forget about it, like we always do. All right, Touya?" He asked, softly. Touya sighed, wanting to rebel and fight, thinking how they could be wrong, how they should go check the bodies. But, at his boss's stern look, he sighed and nodded. 

"All right. I'll let this pass." Touya said, nodding. Fujitaka smiled, then handed a folder to him. 

"I have a new mission for you and Yukito, all right? I want you to investigate the bombing at the Twin Stars Charity balls and what happened and why we didn't get any tips, even though it seemed like someone was informed." Touya nodded, and headed out the door. Fujitaka sat there, silent, for a moment, until he stopped Touya. 

"Wait..." He said. When Touya turned around, Fujitaka smiled, almost a bit sheepishly. "Be careful out there. I don't want to loose another one of my 'children'." Touya nodded, smiling. 

"Always." He continued out the door and looked for Yukito, who was still mourning after his young friends. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Dead, hm?" Kaho Mizuki asked one of her top agents, Nakuru. Nakuru nodded sadly. 

"Yeah...it was probably that Kinomoto witch." She said, bitterly. Kaho sighed and turned to one of the top secret files that had all the agents names and IDs. Taking out Yamazaki's, Eriol's and Syaoran's, she placed them on her desk. 

"Make sure to burn these and bury them." Kaho said to her. Nakuru sighed, a tear coming to her eyes. 

"I guess...I guess this is really goodbye, huh?" She asked. Nakuru nodded, just as sad as she, but better at not letting her feelings show. 

"Yes, it is. We will miss them, but we have to move on." Nakuru sighed and wiped away the tears, inside commanding herself to stay strong. 

"Of course, Mizuki. Any other news?" Kaho smiled. 

"Actually, yes, there is. Dr. Meilin Li has asked permission to move to another country. She says that here there are too many memories of Syaoran, and same as in Hong Kong." Nakuru nodded. 

"I guess that would be expected. So which agent are you sending with her?" She asked, understanding Meilin's sadness and wish to escape the country. 

"Actually, I'm not sending any along with her." Nakuru's eyes went wide. 

"What?! What do you mean?! Not sending any agents with her...why, she could give us away or something!!" Kaho chuckled a bit. She could understand Nakuru's sudden disbelief. 

"She's behaved very well, here in Japan. You know as well as I do that she didn't have any guards to look after her for the past several months." 

"Yes, but that was before Syaoran died." Nakuru pointed out angrily. "If she gave away the agency, she would be killing her cousin." Kaho nodded. 

"Exactly what I thought before. However, she promised me that she wouldn't give away any information or anything, since she really doesn't know any. She will be making reports every now and then, but I don't believe a regular agent is necessary. No point in sending a trained agent into something as simple as that, and we need all our agents, after Syaoran and his team's misfortune." Nakuru sighed, nodding. 

"All right, I see your point. Permission to work on other responsibilities?" She asked, straightening up at the formal request. Kaho nodded and smiled again. 

"Permission granted. Make sure to burn those files." Nakuru nodded and stepped out the room. Kaho sighed at the empty drawers that had once been filed with Syaoran, Eriol and Yamazaki's reports and other identifications. 

"Well, this certainly is goodbye, fellas. I hope you find better luck in your next lives." She said, and turned back to her paper work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Geo: And that's the end of this chapter! Phew! I was stuck for a while, but I finally made it LONGER! Yeah!  
Brooklyn: Whoopee...well, at least I can look forward to NEXT CHAPTER BEING THE LAST CHAPTER!! Yes! PARTY!  
Geo: *sigh* Anyways, pretty bad ending of the chapter, but that's all right...so, what did you guys think? Do you think Kaho Mizuki really knows what's going on? Will the next chapter REALLY be the last chapter?! We'll just have to find out!!  
Brooklyn: *praying* Please let it be the last chapter, please let it be the last chapter...  
Geo: *evil smirk* Maybe I just will make it longer, huh? BWHAHAHAHA! Maybe the next chapter WON'T be the last...BWAHAHAHAHA! Well...we'll just have to find out next time! 

Oh...by the way...before I forget again...*sigh* I know I didn't really make Touya in character or Yamazaki has been OUT of character for the whole story...but you know what? I like Yamazaki that way...he's cool. And there always has to be a joker/cool guy in the group, eh? Kind of like...Cosmo in US MARSHALS. He was funky...heh heh heh..."What do you mean amazing, he just broke my frickin' glasses!" 


	10. so be it

Geo

Geo: Oh, and it's me again! Whoa!!  
Brooklyn: Hey, this song is cool!!  
Geo: *glares* will you TURN off the music?! I'm trying to CONCENTRATE! Hey...I like this song...  
Brooklyn: See...this song IS cool!  
Geo: Hey, this is in Spanish...isn't this the song from the Spanish soap opera? Yeah, see...it says 'El Precio de Tu Amor'...hey. Well, you know what? I'm going to dedicate this chapter to that song!  
Brooklyn: BWAHAHAHA!  
Geo: *pout* I'm the only one who does the evil laugh. Anyways...disclaimer PLEASE!  
Brooklyn: Geo does not own the characters of CCS. There. Fin.  
Geo: All right! On to the fic.

Oh wait! Just a reminder: the group are in Vancouver, if you remember. Oh, and if you might have figured out, they're all about 24 years of age, so that means one year has gone by. Pretty young but...they're really smart! Oh, and I'm basically going to be calling everyone by their REAL names, even though they're called something else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**chapter 10**

**so be it**

_**Luche por la fortuna de tenerte  
porque era inutil ya vivir sin verte  
Rompiendo las barreras para siempre  
que separaban nuestro gran amor**_

"All right, class, I want you to read Act 3, Scene 3 in your Romeo and Juliet books for homework. I'd like you to especially work on Romeo's lines when he's talking about being banished. I'll hear your answers on Monday." Sakura Avalon announced to her literature class. The school day was almost done and the weekend was approaching, so Sakura didn't want to pile the kids with too much homework.

She sat down at her desk, sighing at the amount of Macbeth paragraphs she had from her grade 11's. This was definitely going to take up her entire Saturday.

"Ms. Avalon, do you want us to hand in the last nights homework?" Asked a young girl above the noise of the class getting ready for the weekend. Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"No thanks, Lisa. We went over it today in class, and I hope all of you took notes. I don't need" She said, smiling at the whoops of joy that came from the class.

The bell suddenly rang and the teenagers almost ran out of the room. On any other day, Sakura would have stopped them for running but right then she was just as excited that the weekend had arrived. That evening, the whole group was going to a nice dinner. It was really their first time out together where they were relaxed and settled since they had arrived in Vancouver.

_'I hope Syaoran makes it,'_ She thought sadly. He was off on a business trip to Calgary and he said he didn't know whether he was going to be back for the dinner or not.

"So, Ms. Avalon, you ready yet?" Asked a voice from the doorway. Looking up, she saw Chiharu waiting in the doorway. The two were lucky enough to get a job in the same all girls private school, whereas Yamazaki was teaching a couple of blocks away in another school.

Sakura smiled and nodded, placing the papers in a file. "Yeah, I'm ready." She turned off the lights and walked down the hall, listening to Chiharu blab on about the troubles of teaching chemistry to giggly grade 7's.

"I mean, I can't trust them with any of the acids, especially when it's all pure. I mean, I was expecting to teach high school, not junior high!" She said. Sakura rolled her eyes, laughing.

"Come on, Chelsea, it was just one day. You were only substituting for Raymond, you know that." Chiharu sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chiharu said, grabbing her bag and sticking her books in it. Sakura, following in her suit, took her own bag and sweater she had taken that morning. Walking out to the parking lot, they saw Yamazaki by his platinum Inifiniti New Q. Ever since they started, Yamazaki had dropped and picked the girls up, just so they can have some sort of normal routine.

"Hey girls, what's up?" He said, giving Chiharu a small peck on the lips and then sliding into the driver's seat. Chiharu turned red but followed into the front seat as Sakura sat alone in the back.

_'They're so cute together,'_ she thought happily. However, she couldn't help feel a bit forlorn and lonely for Syaoran.

"So, how'd the day go for you chicks?" Yamazaki asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. Chiharu shrugged.

"I don't know. Okay, I guess...had it not been for those giggly grade sevens..." Sakura laughed as Yamazaki looked over at her for a few seconds, a puzzled look on his face. 

"What was that all about?" Yamazaki asked her. Sakura laughed.

"Nothing really...just something at school." She said, shrugging. Yamazaki sighed, turning around the corner to drop Sakura off at her house.

"You know, that sounds really weird. I thought I GOT out of school once I graduated from university...I never expected THIS." He said as he stopped in front of her small house. She smiled as she grabbed her bag.

"Thanks Yamazaki for the ride." Yamazaki leaned over and winked at her.

"No problemo..."

"So, we're still going to get together tonight?" Chiharu asked. Sakura nodded, then frowned.

"Have you two, by any chance, heard from Syaoran?" She asked quietly. Chiharu nodded, smiling sympathetically while Yamazaki shrugged.

"Sorry, Sakura. You know you'd probably be the first one he'd phone." Chiharu said. Sakura sighed then smiled.

"All right. 6:00 pm and my house is the meeting place, right?" Yamazaki nodded and Sakura walked up the sidewalk as they pulled out and left. Sakura sighed again as she pulled out her keys and checked her mailbox. Nothing except some junk mail.

"I hate junk mail." She muttered as she walked into the empty house. She sighed again. She was so used to coming home, knowing that Syaoran would be over for dinner or something. Chuckling, she had to admit that he was over at her house more than he was at his own apartment. Walking over to the couch, she set her things down and went to get ready for that evening.

~*~*~*~*~

"Hm...yeah...well, that kind of design for a dress is quite...eccentric, Ms. Thomas, but it could be done. Hm, I'll have the designs ready by Monday, at the earliest. I have a lot of other clients on my waiting list, so I'll try to get you all done as soon as possible. Is that all right, Ms. Thomas? Good? All right, I'll talk to you on Monday. Good bye." Tomoyo hung up the phone in her office of the small boutique she owned in the funkiest part of town. Looking up, she smiled as Eriol walked in.

"And what can I do for you, sir?" She asked politely and formally. He rolled his eyes the pointed at his watch.

"Come on, Madison, we have to get going." He said, indicating to his parked Audi. She sighed and rolled her eyes but turned to Ana, her assistant manager.

"I can handle it, Madison, don't worry." She said, smiling and holding up Madison's keys, jacket and purse. "You'd better get going before the Parking Patrol tow Eriol's car away." She smiled her thanks and locked up her office. Waving goodbye, she followed Eriol outside the store.

"It sounds so weird when you call me that." She muttered as she slid into the front seat. He turned, raising an his right eyebrow at the comment.

"I've been calling you that for the past year." He said. She chuckled as she grinned mischievously.

"Not when we're alone, you don't." She whispered and laughed when he cleared his throat nervously. Turning on the ignition, he drove onto the main street.

"So, who were you talking to?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"A friend." Eriol sighed and shook his head.

"Well, whatever..." He muttered as she happily glanced out the window.

~*~*~*~*~

"Coming, coming coming, just wait...!" Sakura called as she fumbled to put on her high heels and earring at the same time.

She was thanking her lucky stars that she was at least dressed and ready for whoever was early. She had decided to wear a pale pink evening gown with these cute silver sandal-like high heels. Of course, she had gone shopping with Tomoyo and Chiharu, and they influenced her decision.

She swung open the door. "Gosh, you're early, I wasn't expecting you guys for another 15 minu..." She stopped abruptly as she noticed who was standing at her doorway.

A handsome young man with black pant and a white dress shirt, his black tie slightly undone. He was carrying his blazer over his shoulder, since it was a pretty hot night. His chocolate coloured hair was somewhat messy and the bangs almost covered his sunset coloured eyes, but Sakura could still tell they glinted mischievously.

"Syaoran!" She said and laughed. She was hoping he would make it and *poof* here he was at her doorstep, fifteen minutes early. She flung her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder and indulging herself in inhaling his spicy-autumn like scent that was so comforting. (A/n: Isn't inhaling such a funny word?) 

He put his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him.

"I'm so glad you made it, Syaoran. I was really going crazy without you." She said, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. 

He bent his head down a bit, just low enough to whisper, "Luche por la fortuna de tenerte, porque era inutil ya vivir sin verte. Rompiendo las barreras para siempre, que separaban nuestro gran amor."

Sakura chuckled. "You have to forgive me, Mr. Li, but I'm not as fluent in Spanish as you are. You know my language is French." Syaoran smirked.

"Well, French is Latin based and so is Spanish. You should be able to figure is out." She pouted.

"Aw...please Syaoran? Please? For me?" Syaoran chuckled again, but instead of making another smart remark, his husky voice came in a whisper against her ear.

"The gist of it is I'm so lucky to have you, I can't live without you." And Syaoran meant it with his entire heart. He was happy to be home.

"Well, the feeling is mutual." She whispered back. He smiled and turned her head towards his. He bent down a bit more and his lips met hers.

_'Finally,'_ they both thought.

"Aw...isn't this so sweet!!" Came a voice behind the two. The two jumped apart and turned around to find a smiling Eriol and a video-taping Tomoyo. Syaoran rolled his eyes as Sakura happily blushed and invited the company in.

"Well, well...if we didn't come, I'm afraid how far this would have gone." Eriol remarked.

"Shut up, Hiirigizawa." Syaoran growled as he followed the couple to the living room as Sakura returned to her room to grab her purse.

"My, my, my, Mr. Showron. Quite a temper, eh?" Eriol said, smirking. Syaoran continued to glare at him and Eriol continued to smirk.

"They aren't getting along right now, are they?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, who continued to chuckle.

"No, but that doesn't really matter, does it? Yamazaki will be here and they'll have a common annoyance for him." Sakura nodded in agreement, and turned to the door as the doorbell rang.

Not waiting for Sakura to answer the door, Yamazaki entered in a dark blue polo shirt and dark pants. He smiled as he saw Syaoran sitting on the arm of one of the chairs. 

"Hey, dude, you made it! So, do you have the..." But that was as far as he got from Chiharu's hand clamping his mouth shut and Syaoran's glare. 

"Have what?" Sakura inquired innocently. 

"Nothing!" All five answered simultaneously. Sakura narrowed her eyes, looking at each individual. 

"I have a strong suspicion that something is going on..." She said. Syaoran smiled as knee-melting smile at her and shook his head. 

"Nothing's going on, Sakura. Seriously." Sakura shrugged and smiled, but instinct told her that something was going to happen at dinner. 

"Well, let's get going, I'm starved!" She said, everyone murmuring in agreement. As she locked the door, she heard Eriol and Yamazaki whispering. 

"You never have learned when to keep your mouth shut, have you Henderson?" 

"Shut up, Moonie..." 

"Why you jack ass..." 

"Will you too stop fighting?!" Hissed Chiharu sternly. Sakura laughed and turned to the waiting Syaoran. He nodded towards the his small Mercedes. 

"Thy chariot awaits, oh beautiful goddess." He whispered. She laughed as she led the way towards the black car. 

"As I said almost a year ago, you have too much charm for your own good." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

The restaurant that the six had made arrangements for was one of the nicest in the city. They were actually having a very nice evening and they were waiting for their coffee when Sakura noticed that everyone was smiling and Yamazaki was obviously fidgeting. 

"Okay guys, what do you have planned?" Sakura asked, eyeing the group. Tomoyo smiled pleasantly and innocently. 

"What do you mean, 'planned'? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." She said shrugging. However, Sakura knew that innocent look, and she knew whenever Tomoyo was smiling innocently, she was plotting something. 

"I can tell. I didn't spend most of my life in...my previous job...not to know little details." Sakura said, smiling. Syaoran sighed, but Chiharu jumped in before he could say anything. 

"You're absolutely right, Sakura, we can't hide anything from you. The surprise is that Meilin is moving here to Vancouver soon. She was in Toronto for a long time and now she's moving over here. That's the big surprise." Sakura smiled. 

"Meilin? Coming here? That's wonderful!" She said happily. As Sakura happily talked to Tomoyo about arrangements, Syaoran shot a thankful glance over at Chiharu. 

Inside he was a nervous wreck. He had been waiting for this occasion for the longest time. And now that it has come and the moment was now, he couldn't seem to say or do anything intelligent. He felt as though his meal was going to come up since butterflies were presently taking up all the space in his stomach. But he had to be strong. He couldn't be nauseous. 

_'Carpe Diem, Syaoran, carpe diem. Sieze the day,'_ he thought to himself as he gazed lovingly at Sakura, remembering that nausea was worth what may happen next. 

"Sakura," he interrupted. She turned to him, smiling. 

"Yes, Li?" She asked. He took a deep breath, knowing that it was either now or never. The others suddenly got up and left the table, standing a safe distance behind, but still in view. 

"Sakura, we've known each other for quite some time, about a year, to be exact. When we met, our opinions were somewhat different, and we wanted to kill each other...literally. Well, I'm glad that our missions never worked out, because I don't know what would've happened." He said quietly. Sakura kept smiling, but inside she was wondering what exactly was happening. 

_'Oh God, oh God...is he doing what I THINK he's doing?'_

"We've been through a lot Sakura, through pain and anxiety and happiness and sorrow. And frankly, I'd like to live my life knowing that you'll always be by my side, always there, my understanding, caring, loving angel that you are." Syaoran got down on one knee and took a box from out of his pocket. 

"Sakura Avalon, will you do me the highest honor of being my wife?" He asked, his question barely above a whisper but to Sakura she could hear the question pounding in her ears. She smiled brightly and happily. She didn't need time to think this question over. This question was, to her, a no-brainer. 

"Yes." She whispered. Syaoran's eyes went wide. 

"You...you said..." He said, nervously trying to make sure his ears weren't deceiving him. Sakura, with tears rolling down her cheeks slid down to the floor next to him and hugged him. 

"Yes." She whispered into his ear. She heard him give a slight sigh of relief. Then, pulling away from the hug momentarily, he slid the beautiful engagement ring onto her finger. With that, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her, joyfully and happily. 

The whole restaurant went into cheers as the two kissed. Chiharu was sobbing, claiming she loved happily ever afters, Tomoyo could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks but she held the camera steady. Even Eriol and Yamazaki were a bit teary-eyed. 

Sakura and Syaoran didn't notice the cheers. And no one noticed when the telephone lines were suddenly cut. 

The electricity suddenly went out and the only light came from the few candles. The two broke the kiss, looking around them at the sudden lack of light. 

"You went all out for this, Li." Sakura said softly to him, thinking the romantic candle light was his doing. However, Syaoran was still glancing around suspiciously. 

"I'd like to say that it was my doing, but I can't take the credit. Look at the waiters and the cooks. They're just as confused as everyone else." He whispered, slowly standing up. Sakura's senses got out of their haze as she noticed that exact same thing when he pointed it out. She rose as well, and the two joined the other four. 

"This looks bad," Yamazaki muttered, taking Chiharu's hand in his instinctively. Syaoran agreed silently and looked around for some sort of nook or cranny where they could hide in case anything happened. He saw the space where the washrooms divided and decided that that space would do, in case anything happened. Nodding over to the space, he quickly led the group over to the small corridor. 

"What do you think is going on?" Sakura asked warily. Syaoran shook his head. 

"I have no idea, Sakura. And this time, I have no way of protecting you. I left my guns when my other self died." He muttered. 

All of a sudden, there was a blast. Chaos erupted as armed men and women walked into the dining room. 

"My, isn't this a nice restaurant." Said a female voice. A fairly familiar voice. 

"Damn it. Do you remember that voice, Syaoran?" Whispered Sakura. Syaoran nodded. It was the head terrorist of that terrorist group, the one who shot Sakura. The only thing holding him from going out there and trying to beat the woman up with his hands, unarmed, was Sakura's hand in his. 

"Isn't it just like the great Syaoran Li to pick such a fine one for him and his friends and girlfriend." The female continued. 

"Tsk tsk, I don't see him anywhere. Oh Syaoran...Syaoran..." The woman called mockingly. Syaoran glanced at all the people in his group, indicating them not to say a word. 

"Oh, Syaoran...hm, maybe he won't answer to that name...how about this. Xiao Lang..." The woman called again. 

Sakura could see, even in the dim light, Syaoran's jaw go hard as he restrained himself from launching at the woman in rage. 

_'How could she have known we were here? Or Syaoran's real name?'_

"Syaoran, or Xiao Lang, I don't have time for hide-and-go-seek. So you know what, how about this. If you don't come out right now, I'm going to shoot this poor innocent woman here." The lady called. Eriol shook his head and Syaoran nodded, knowing that he shouldn't make a move, even if it meant a life. However, he really didn't want any lives to be wasted mercilessly. These people were innocent and this lady had no right to get them involved in his past. 

A shot rang out, followed by terrified screams. 

"I shot her in the leg, Syaoran. Next time it will be more accurate." She called out, trying to lure him out. After a few minutes, another shot rang and still more screams. 

"Xiao Lang, that was in the arm. Next time I'm actually going to kill someone. I don't have all day. You can't hide. If I can't find you in this way, I'll just send my people to find you. No one can call the police because the phones are dead. Systems are suddenly down for cell phones and all the exits are blocked. Now, you either come out now, or I'll be shooting everyone in my path." 

Syaoran winced, knowing that innocent lives were going to be wasted. How did she know his name? He had never used it, not once since he was 11. There was something going on and Syaoran knew he had to find out, or risk too many lives. He let go of Sakura's hand, to her silent objection. 

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed angrily, yet worry was etched into her face. 

"Be quiet, Sakura, and stay here. She's only asking for me. I don't want you getting hurt for no reason." He glared at the rest of the group. "That goes for the rest of you." 

He rose and walked slowly out of the corridor. He saw the woman's face twist into a malicious smile. 

"Ah, so there you are, Xiao Lang." She said but never moving her gun from a young man's chest. Everyone was staring at him, wondering what a regular young man had to do with this crazy woman. 

"How do you know that name?" He asked softly, narrowing his eyes. She smirked. 

"I know a lot of things about you now, Xiao Lang. Now, you can come along with me quietly and no one else gets hurt." 

"How do I know I can trust you?" Syaoran asked as he saw two guards walking towards him. 

"Well, you just have to. I don't usually kill without a reason. Right now, I have no reason, since I have you here. However, if you object..."

"I still don't trust you. You almost killed Sakura..." He yelled. She frowned then swiftly shot the man she had held hostage. Syaoran turned away, not wanting to see the man's face twisted in surprise and momentary pain.

"Now will you come, Syaoran? Or I swear, there will be others following him to the gates of heaven." She said quietly. Syaoran held up his hands in defeat.

"I'll come. Just don't kill anyone else." He said. At that moment, the guard took his arms and stuck them behind his back to pin him. The other stuck a handkerchief over his nose and mouth roughly, even though Syaoran was making no protest. Syaoran could smell the sweet-scent of chloroform as he drifted off to into a haze.

_'Please keep Sakura and the rest of them safe,' _he thought as he fainted into darkness. He slumped over and one of the guards picked him up. Following their leader, who was keeping a clear path with her gun, they walked out and into a ready and waiting car, that sped off.

"Syaoran!" Sakura yelled as she finally got free of Eriol and Yamazaki's grips to keep her steady so they wouldn't give off their position. She ran off down the street where she could see the car. Almost tripping on her high heels, she tore them off and followed the car down the street. Shots were fired in front of her from someone in the car which forced her to run behind a building for cover. When she looked around, the car was rounding the corner and was gone. But she still kept on running, trying to follow it even when it had a head start. She finally gave up, collapsing to her knees, sobbing.

"Sakura!" She could hear Yamazaki's faint yell but she didn't care. Stopping behind her, he caught his breath then bent down beside her.

"Sakura..." He whispered as she turned away.

"How could he be so stupid?" She whispered. "So incredibly stupid! To give himself up, just like that. Without a fight. Nothing. He just let them take him away...to kill him or..." She stopped, the sob racking through her whole body. Yamazaki sighed and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"If they were going to kill her, they would've done so right then. No, I believe they have another use for him, I don't know what." When she didn't answer, he turned her to face him. "Hey, babe. Please, calm down. It's okay. We'll find him. Don't worry. We just need a plan and information. Now, come on. Eriol's paying the check and Chiharu's getting the car. Let's get going back to someone's house so we can figure this out." Sakura sighed and smiled gratefully. It was really nice of Yamazaki to be, for once, understanding instead of goofing off.

"Thanks, Yamazaki." She whispered. He grinned his usual quirky grin.

"No problemo, babe. Now, let's get a move on. You're shivering."

~*~*~*~*~

"What are we going to do?" Chiharu whispered, holding onto her mug of hot coffee. Both Yamazaki and Eriol were pacing around Sakura's kitchen as Tomoyo brought Sakura a blanket. 

Smiling her thanks, Sakura returned her gaze down to her wedding ring. There was a pink quartz shaped in a heart on either side of the diamond and on in the inside, it was engraved "Lost forever if I never knew you" in tiny letters.

"We'll get him back, Sakura. Don't worry." Came Tomoyo's worried voice. Sakura snapped out of her daydreams to smile and reassure her friend that she was okay.

"Thanks, Tomoyo. I'll be okay. We'll find him. I know we will."

"I was thinking, we should get a few trusted members of our old agencies. Some people we considered friends. They can perhaps help us on this case, especially in getting us some legal weapons as soon as possible." Eriol said thoughtfully. Chiharu frowned.

"Wouldn't that sort of destroy what we've been trying to work on this past year?" She asked. Sakura glared at her.

"I'm willing to risk anything for Syaoran." Chiharu looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"Don't get me wrong, Sakura, so do I. It was just a thought." Sakura nodded then sighed.

"I guess I can get Touya and Yukito. Touya was almost like a brother to me, and Yukito is just as friendly," she thought.

"And we can probably get Nakuru and Meilin in on this." Yamazaki added. Eriol nodded.

"All right. We get some sleep, and then we work on this tomorrow morning." He said, confidently. "We will get Syaoran back, Sakura. I promise."

Sakura nodded and stood up and escorted her guests to the door. Each gave a sympathetic smile and left her alone to be with her thoughts.

_'We wanted to escape our past lives...and it almost worked. Oh, why did this have to happen tonight of all nights?! Right when Syaoran asked me to marry him...'_ Sakura could feel her eyes well up with tears as she thought with horror what they could be doing to her sweet, kind, loving Syaoran. 

_'He did it so that no one would get hurt. No one else, that is. Syaoran, please...stay alive and well while you're there. I promise, I'll come and help you.'_ She thought. She let herself cry for a while so it would all be out of her system for tomorrow. She had to be strong and commanding, just like Syaoran. She knew that if she wasn't, if she let sad emotions get in her way, she could very well risk her life, her friend's lives, and Syaoran's life.

She thought she had escaped her life from before. However, it came back to haunt her. Sighing, she turned out the kitchen light, leaving only the faint glow of the lamp in her bedroom.

**_'So be it.'_**

_End of **DANGEROUS RIVALS**_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Geo: And that's the end of THAT fic!  
Brooklyn: WHAT?!?! What do you mean, END?!!? You just STARTED a new PLOT?!!  
Geo: *sigh* It's not really the DANGEROUS RIVALS plot...it's more like a NEW STORY!! *hint hint*  
Brooklyn: You mean...so you're saying...oh I get it! SEQUEL!  
Geo: *glare* Good job, Brooklyn, you just gave it away! No, no...I'm sure you kids out there knew what I was talking about...I mean OBVIOUS! I'm kind of doing that thing that JRR Tolkein did...when he ended the Two Towers, it was sort of like a cliff hanger, I won't say HOW just in case any of you are READING it. But it does end at a cliff hanger, all I'm going to say. And that's what I did here too. Well...yup...next up is the SEQUEL to DANGEROUS RIVALS! Whoa!

Also coming up on my agenda...  
_coming soon to a computer screen near you..._

1.) A new CCS story that's pretty angst-like...I've been wanting to write a good tragedy but remembering my LAST attempt at a tragedy...-_-;; well, not good. So, it'll be half/half. Turns out good!  
2.) TRYING to do a Matrix fanfic.  
3.) New chapter to Talent Show: Summer of '01 : Can't Get Enough of that Good Ol' Time Rock &Roll!

Well, that's it. Hope you liked the story, the sequel will come out SOON! Just as soon as I get a title for it....hm...

~Geo


End file.
